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Best Getaways
Looking for the perfect hideaway? Consider these top vacation
spots and and create your own adventure.
Hawaii
With volcanoes like Mount Kilauea squirting out new land
like toothpaste out of the tube, Hawaii, quite literally,
is growing. In fact, there's an expanding volcano near
the Big Island that's still a few thousand feet below
the surface of the ocean. One day, in a few hundred or
a few thousand years, it will become the newest Hawaiian
island. In fact, it already has a name: Loihi.
Meanwhile, there's already enough beauty and activity
in Hawaii to fill more vacations than we could ever take.
With so much to choose from, first-time visitors need
to be selective. Our recommendation is to settle first
on the Hawaii you want to see. It might be beaches, luaus
and nightlife; it might be rare orchids and hikes in the
rain forest; it might be quiet countryside, small towns
and scenic drives. Whatever the combination, there will
likely be an island or islands best suited to your desires.
Popular Attractions in Hawaii
Hanauma Bay Marine Preserve
Pearl Harbor
Waikiki Beach
Maui Ocean Center
Iolani Palace
Diamond Head State Monument
Ka'anapali Beach
Limahuli Valley Gardens
Haleakala National Park
Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden
Rome
It's hard to say what you'll find most breathtaking about
the eternal city - the arrogant opulence of the Vatican,
the timelessness of the Forum, the top speed of a Fiat
Bambino, the millions of cats in the Colosseum, trying
to cross a major intersection, or the bill for your latte.
Make like the locals and souse your senses in the glut
of pleasures the city has to offer, from the grandiose
thrill of feeling centuries of turbulent history under
your feet to the small but potent intoxication of eating
chestnut gelati on a hot day. Rome means history. There's
layers of the stuff - Etruscan tombs, Republican meeting
rooms, imperial temples, early Christian churches, medieval
bell towers, Renaissance palaces and baroque basilicas.
In this city a phenomenal concentration of history, legend
and monuments coexists with an equally phenomenal concentration
of people busily going about their everyday life. So get
your cultural fill but be sure to leave time for more
hedonistic concerns: eat till you can eat no more and
get drunk on wine, architecture and sunshine.
Venice
Venice, gateway to the Orient, is one of the few cities
in the world that can be truly described as unique. Over
an extraordinarily long period, the city was embellished
with monuments of rare splendour that today make it a
tourist attraction like none other in the entire world.
There are several ways of getting to Venice:
By car: The Ponte della Libertà bridge connects
Venice to the mainland and ends at Piazzale Roma, the
only part of the city where cars can enter. There are
several indoor and outdoor car parks in Piazzale Roma
that vary in the parking fees asked: find the fees they
apply and choose one that is most convenient for you.
You can also park at the Tronchetto, which you reach by
turning right immediately at the end of the Ponte della
Libertà bridge, just before you get to Piazzale
Roma. At the Tronchetto there are some indoor and outdoor
car parks. You can get to the city center easily from
both these points by vaporetto (the Venice water buses),
water taxi or on foot.
By plane: You can get to the city from the “Marco
Polo” airport in various ways: by water taxi, by
the Alilaguna motor boat or using the “Venezia Air
Terminal” bus.
By train: If you come to Venice by train, you will arrive
at the Santa Lucia Railway Station, a large building located
at the beginning of the Grand Canal in the Santa Croce
area of the city. It is easy to reach the city center
on foot walking down the Strada Nuova or by taking the
water bus from one of the jetties that are opposite the
station.
Bahamas
There isn't much that you can do on or in the water that
you can't do in The Bahamas--these islands offer a smorgasbord
for the land-weary. Once ashore, explore the natural beauty
of these islands by plane or by bicycle. Or enjoy a round
of golf, a set of tennis, or a visit to any of the island's
shopping arcades or casinos. And of course, if you prefer,
there is always the old standby--relaxing on a beach,
with a good book, a refreshing tropical drink and a close
friend.
Anyone in search of the perfect beach might very well
start with the Islands of The Bahamas, whose relatively
small land mass belies the sheer quantity of its beachfront.
With the vast majority of the islands shaped like slivers,
one imagines two gorgeous stretches of beach separated
by the most perfunctory of inlands. And indeed they are--gorgeous,
that is.Most beaches are pristine and unbelievably white,
with sand so fine it feels soft to the touch. Those in
search of something really special should check out Harbour
Island's rose-colored sands, off the coast of Eleuthera.
The beaches of The Bahamas are often coupled with shallow
transparent water for hundreds of yards out to sea, rising
gently to sandbars before finally dropping into the depths.
Beaches are of two types in The Bahamas--the activity
beach and the deserted beach. On an activity beach, of
which Cable Beach in Nassau is the prime example, you'll
find tons of things to do, and every service will be at
your fingertips. Water-skiing, windsurfing, diving, fishing,
sailing, parasailing, seaside restaurants, beach bars,
local entertainment--if you can think of it, you'll probably
find it here.
Florence
Florence, capital of the region of Tuscany, has a population
of around half a million inhabitants, spreads on the banks
of the Arno, between the Adriatic and the Tyrrhenian seas,
almost in the middle of the Italian peninsula. It is a
city which bustles with industry and craft, commerce and
culture, art and science. Being on the main national railway
lines, it is easily accessible from most important places
both in Italy and abroad. The Florence "Vespucci"
airport, where both national and international airlines
stop, is located 5 Km. from the city centre. The main
motorway, A1, connects Florence with Bologna and Milano
in the North and Rome and Naples in the South. The motorway
A11 to the sea joins it to Prato, Pistoia, Montecatini,
Lucca, Pisa and all the resorts on the Tyrrhenian sea.
There is also motorway which connects Florence to Siena.
The climate is temperate but rather variable, with breezy
winters and hot summers. The Chianti area, between Florence
and Siena, is one of the most beautiful countrysides in
Italy and a famous wine production area. |
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