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A Romantic Day in Singapore Sentosa

If you’re searching the world for a romantic weekend, you might do worse than a find a nice quiet spot on Sentosa Island, just off of the city-state of Singapore.  You’ll find a number of activities and fine Singapore Sentosa hotels.  To begin the day, you might start with breakfast at the hotel.   Perhaps a buffet breakfast, al fresco style, on any number of cliff-side locations.  Local cafes, too, have equally great morning meals.  Later in the morning, after you’ve had your coffee or tea, you and your partner can travel to the Sentosa Nature Walk.  You can begin at either end, near Sentosa Underwater World or the Cable Car Arrival Plaza.  Either way, you’ll have a great walk.  Along the 1.7 kilometer path, keep an eye out for squirrels and macaque, as well as the Nepenthes Rafflesiana pitcher plants.  If it’s not yet lunch time, take a moment to see the Butterfly Park and Insect Kingdom, as well as the spectacular views from the Merlion Statue and the Tiger Sky Tower.

A nice way to spend the afternoon might be to go to a spa specifically for couples, where the two of you can enjoy a body scrub, a Vichy shower for couple, a detox wrap, an aroma massage, and a petal bath, as well as a light lunch.  It’s indulgent, but you’re partner is likely to find it incredibly romantic as well, which will take all the time up until…

Dinner, which can be taken at any number of restaurants, from buffets on the beach to cliff-side fine dining.  In the evening, you can go on the Sentosa Luge and Skyride, taking an open chair lift up the hill, overlooking lights from Singapore, feel the breeze, and cuddle together as the Songs of the Sea show play out below you with its colorful lights.  Then, it’s your choice whether to return by luge, a kind of modified go-cart, or take the Skyride back down the hill to return to your hotel and the rest of your romantic night.

Tags: Nepenthes Rafflesiana pitcher plants, Singapore Sentosa hotels, Vichy shower for couple

Photo Sculpture in Dubai

Dubai continues to grow in new directions, confirming its place as one of the hottest tourist destinations in the world.  Whether it’s the local culture, the international art scene, the world-class shopping, the beaches, the nightlife, or any other of the many spectacular draws, people from all over the world, celebrities to entrepreneurs to artists, are drawn to this city.  There’s no real mystery to the attraction, because so much of what’s available here is right on the surface.  In the desert, roots have to grow in shallow soil, and depth comes from the strength of the connections between things, and here the connections are between people.  Coming to Dubai can be like entering into a long conversation.

It doesn’t always matter if you’ve been following the conversation, either.  There are many loose threads, and many open questions, but on the best days there is a splendid sense that your voice is important here.  There’s no question that tourists do make a difference here.  Their presence has affected the way the city operates, and now it’s easier than ever to find the perfect 5 star hotel in Dubai, or anything you like that will help you to travel in spectacular style.  It’s also a place that gives back, offering new lessons and new ideas of culture and making art, and there are many different forms that inspiration can take, as evidenced by the work of Koh Myung Keun.

When there is no form, there is only emptiness, and in emptiness there is another series of possibilities for art.  This might be the most essential thing that can be articulated from looking at the photo sculptures of Koh Myung Keun, whose work was exhibited at the recent edition of Art Dubai.  This Korean artist used numerous technologies to make his works, which sometimes involve welding together frames and screens of images layered over each other in extremely complicated ways.  The results are enormously stunning, making his work very important to see live, and in the flesh, because their artifice maintains an ethereal nature, and balances in an impossible place.

Tags: 5 star hotel in Dubai, Koh Myung Keun

Garden on the Coast

Home of the famous painter Pablo Picasso and actor Antonio Banderas, Malaga Spain is a beautiful coastal town. Just east of the Strait of Gibraltar, is the Port of Malaga which has been in continuous use since 600 B.C.. From this town of around 250,000 people, travelers can catch a train that would get them to Madrid in about two and half hours. There are also highways that get sightseers to other coastal towns. If you have a chance to spend some time here you will find the city is a walking historical site. Pick a room at one of the many hotels Malaga Spain has to offer and stay awhile.

The Phoenicians first founded this city around 770 BC. Malaka is the derivative of a Phoenician word that means salt. Apparently, Fish were lasted near the harbor. In the 8th century AD the Arabic Muslim’s ruled over Spain and this port town became a trade center for them. The Umayyad Dynasty fell and the city became the capital of a kingdom reliant on Granada. The town over the thousands of years has been described by travelers as the most beautiful towns along the coast of Spain. There has always been an abundant supply of food and fruits. In 1487, the Christian forces took the town from the Arabs and then, five years later, Granada fell.

Visitors that come to this town can see many sites that show the story of all the different inhabitants over the years. Rich with architecture of ancient and new. The Moors left a grand castle on mount Gibralfaro. The Alcazaba fortress is a nice place to see. The church of Santiago, Saint James, is another splendid creation of the Gothic Mudejar, which takes elements for the Islamic and Christian designs. No matter where you go in this city, you will find many beautiful and interesting places and things to enjoy.

Tags: Antonio Banderas, hotels Malaga Spain, Pablo Picasso

Gaudi’s Architecture in Barcelona

Anyone who has ever traveled to Barcelona has heard of Antoni Gaudi, the famed architect of La Sagrada Familia, which many consider his masterwork.  But he has many other interesting buildings as well, and responsible for making the city one of the key destinations of many travelers.  Here’s at least two works which, upon your next visit, while staying in one of the Barcelona Spain luxury hotels, you may wish to explore:  Manzana de la Discordia, and La Pedrera (or Casa Mila).

All grouped together in the district L’Eixample are three works of great architecture: Manzana de la Discordia.  In Spanish, the word manzana can mean either a plot of land or an apple, so here we have The Apple of Discord, which seems to reference the old Greek myth about Paris having to choose the most beautiful goddess out of the three.  In this case, Paris would most likely give his apple to Gaudi for his Casa Battlo.  Always lit at night, the building at no. 43 is sometimes referred to as the House of Bones and sometimes the House of the Dragon.  The houses near his — Casa Amettler (no. 41) by Puig i Cadalfach in a cubist style, and Casa Lleo Morera by Domenech i Mantaner (no. 35) designed like a wedding cake melting in an ocean of ornaments — can’t compare with Casa Battlo.

Just a few blocks away, you’ll find another of Gaudi’s amazing works, and this one is nearly as famous as La Sagrada Familia: The Casa Mila.  This building, perhaps, is only a group of apartments, but it’s different from every other apartment complex on the planet.  It’s sculpted, rolling facade of limestone gives it the nickname of La Pedrera.  It’s something out of another world, with balconies of wrought-iron, parabolic arches, and twisted chimneys.  It definitely should not be missed.

Tags: Barcelona Spain luxury hotels, Casa Battlo, La Sagrada Familia

Herzog in Udaipur

It’s difficult to think of a place that’s a more romantic setting for a romantic getaway than Udaipur.  The temples and palaces alone are enough to offer the most splendid sense of otherworldly beauty, and suggest promises of a kind of paradise on earth that is usually only found in fairy tales and story books.  Udaipur’s skyline is a spectacular thing to see, from any angle, but looking at it across the lake when the sun is setting is a think of enormous and impossible beauty.  It looks like a city that should be in the movies, and it actually is.  Many famous films from the 60s were made here, taking advantage of the natural vistas and gorgeous palaces in Udaipur, India.  Hotel accommodations can be as breathtaking as well.

Some of the most elegant lodgings are in the palaces, so that the dream of living in an ancient palace in India can be a reality, at least for a little while.  The other lodgings are no less hospitable, combining the incredible classic romanticism of the city with the latest in contemporary technologies.  It’s a splendid city to fall to sleep in, and just as magnificent to wake up, enjoying the exotic splendor all around you, and taking in some of the hotel’s excellent cuisine before setting out to further your adventures here.  It’s a great place for movie buffs, and if you’re a Herzog fan, you might enjoy following his footprints left in the artistic landscape here.

He’s one of the most interesting directors the world has right now, and he’s done a share of films in so-called exotic locations, and sometimes his work takes on an enormously ethnographic slant, but complex enough that the film is commenting on filmmaking itself while the ethnography questions its own ethnography.  That’s certainly part of the appeal of his Jag Mandir made here in the early 1990s.  The story is ostensibly a documentary effort to record the efforts of a Maharaj to demonstrate to his son the immense importance of the local culture before it is wiped away by global culture, and he hires Andre Heller to arrange a festival.  In typical Herzog fashion, part of the true story is truly true, and part of it is truly not, and we’re left to decode what’s essential.

Tags: Herzog, Jag Mandir, Udaipur India hotel

Delhi’s Famous

Delhi has been the home of some notable artist, poets and entertainers for thousands of years. With the rise of Bollywood, the film industry of the country, comes the renewed interest of who are other talented people that belong to India. When visitors check into one of Delhi best hotels,  they hope to see and learn about the places and people of the area. Back in the mid 1200s and 1300s there was Amir Khusro, who contributed to the world with his qawwali form of song. He was a poet and performed his playful songs and riddles for the royal courts that span seven rulers of Delhi. Mirsa Ghalib was also a poet and lived between 1796-1869. He led a Urdu revolution with his poetry.

Of the more modern notables from Delhi we start with Khushwant Singh from 1915. He was a very well known writer and historian. He was also known for being a political commentator and social critic. At the same time India had Maqbool Fida Husain, their most famous painter and film maker. His film, Through the eyes of a Painter, was shown at the Film Festival in Berlin where it won the Golden Bear Award. Mukesh Chand Kapoor, award winning singer, fell in line with other heroes during the 1960s and early 70s. Qurratulain Hyder,  female Urdu fiction writer, has written many collective works of her own. Aag Ka Darya which means River of Fire was her Opus. She also, translated the great classics of other writers, for more people to read and enjoy.

Pandit Ravi Shankar is a legendary composer. He is known for his talent on a sitar. He has become the most celebrated musical Amassador to India. He has done so much for his country, India, as a teacher, writer and performer of Indian music. More than any other to date. He has really brought Indian music out to the world so the West can enjoy it too.

Tags: Delhi best hotels, Ourratulain Hyder, Pandit Ravi Shankar

Harrisburg History Serves as Contemporary Attractions

On the east bank of the Susquehanna River is Harrisburg, the Capital of Pennsylvania. This old, historic city has been Pennsylvania’s capital since 1812. According to accurate findings, it is believed that as far back as 3000 BC, Native Americans inhabited this area. Captain John Smith was the first white man to have interaction with the Susquehanna Indians, having traveled to the area from Virginia in 1608. Many things are distinctive of this city, for instance the railroads. They have been extremely important in the growth and economic basis for many, many years, connecting this city to other parts of the country. The Underground Railroad passed through here and was a safety spot for escaped slaves making their way to Canada and freedom. Food and other supplies were given to them as they were transported across the Susquehanna River. Iron and steel have also played major roles in the progress of Harrisburg with their large furnaces, rolling mills and machine shops.

This city and surrounding area is a history buff’s dream come true. The museums, monuments, libraries and historic sites are must-sees when visiting this amazing city. And, every year since 1917, the Annual Pennsylvania Farm Show is held here. This is the largest indoor Agricultural Expo in the United States. Also very popular is the Annual Auto Show featuring classic cars.

There is the oldest, continuously running farmers market in the United States, the twenty-mile greenbelt area, quaint shops and ultra modern department stores, arts and crafts, theatres, symphonies and concerts, fabulous restaurants offering delicious cuisine. And of course the hotels Harrisburg has to offer are some of the finest. Some of these hotels are very old and historic themselves so be sure and check out the architecture and décor as you soak up the many amenities available to you. Harrisburg and enrichment, they go hand in hand so enjoy and savor the experience.

Tags: Annual Pennsylvania Farm Show, hotels Harrisburg, Underground Railroad

I Wayan Sadra, Composing Indonesia

Indonesia is vast and endlessly fascinating, and offers travelers a delicious feast in adventure and excitement.  The urban centers are particularly cosmopolitan, with one of the largest cities in the world in Jakarta, and there are many different cultures and traditions that make up the fabric of the everyday here.  Even in Bali, which is often depicted as a center of a kind of old world island paradise, there are many cultures that make up the local population, with complex and intertwining histories that always come into play.  Things are never simple here, and never what they seem, but in many cases, turn out to be even more splendid than one could ever imagine.

This is true for the restaurants particularly, where the local cuisine is usually a combination of traditions, offering a splendid blend of spices that can’t be matched by any other culinary tradition around.  For luxury hotels, Indonesia offers sumptuous lodgings for travelers, with a welcome that is spectacularly warm, and small and enormously charming details that don’t make themselves known at first glance.  Indonesia is a fantastic place to get in touch with the rhythm of the world.  I Wayan Sadra is an excellent composer to listen to as you start to prepare for your journey here.

It’s also fantastic music to listen to while you’re here, and it’s an amazing thing to see him perform live, if you get the opportunity.  Born in Denpasar, Bali, in 1953, Sadra is one of the most interesting and innovative composers working in Indonesia today.  He is on the faculty of music at the University in Central Java, having moved from Bali to Jakarta to study traditional music, painting, and composition.  His works are a magnificent blend of traditional types of music from here, as well as some European techniques, to make a sound that is entirely contemporary, and  very local, and always on the verge of something new, found through mining the rhythms on the bones of the past.

Tags: bali, Denpasar, I Wayan Sadra, indonesia, luxury hotels

There’s a Party Over in Ibiza

Our 4 days in Ibiza has been one huge party! My girlfriend and I arrive at the Ibiza airport and ever since we put our feet on the ground, we couldn’t get the smiles off our faces. We met another girl while flying here, Margo from Australia, who has been travelling for years and she knew everything about everything. We listened to her tell us everything she knew about Ibiza. While at the airport, we had an hour wait before our 4 star hotel Ibiza bus would come by to pick us up, we just missed one by a few minutes. So, we took a shower at the airport and changed into our town clothes. This actually worked out well, by the time we were ready for Ibiza, our hotel bus was ready for us! There was a line of people waiting to get on board, and it was a scramble to fit in, but we’re New York girls, so we knew how to elbow our way in.

We got to our hotel around 2am and luckily our hotel front desk was open and waiting for us. They checked us in right away and took our luggage up to our room while we were checking in. Since we already showered and changed clothes at the airport, we didn’t even bother with going to our room. We knew Ibiza is just now started to party hard and we didn’t want to miss a minute of it. We went to the first club we saw and it was crazy! There were people everywhere, we didn’t even need to go into the club because the whole street was one big party all on its own. We meet many, many guys. Everyone talks to everyone, no one’s left out of the loop. We managed to get into this bar and there were two half bressed girls out in front and they were the wildest girls I’ve ever seen. We stayed there for a while and got a few drinks down us, finally!

Then we paid to get into a club, since the Australian gal from the flight told us about entry fees, we weren’t stunned about paying a months salary to get in. The entry fee was well worth it though, we were in amazement the whole time, the club did not let us down. We stayed there until 7am! I was difinitely time to head back to our hotel and crash. But, before we crashed, we organized our beach bags and put together our beach wear with accessories. Then we fell dead asleep with happy dreams about tomorrows adventure! Ibiza is so totally a blast our a4 days here almost became a complete blur, one party after another, so worth it.

Tags: 4 star hotel Ibiza, entry fees

Catching Up in New York

After getting cleaned up, I was back out of my hotel and off to one of the New York business hotels to catch up with an old friend of mine, Brian. It’s been several years since I was last in New York, but Brian hasn’t changed, well except for his new wife, who happens to be a New York Police detective! I now know who’s in charge. After we met, we headed to a nearby bar, we wanted to get a few down us before we headed out for food; India food to be precise. I’m so looking forward to eating Indian food, I haven’t had Indian food since I was in Australia a few weeks back and that’s too long!

My friend Brian has been living here now for about three years, so I sure by now he knows where the best India restaurant is. He did, we ended up at a place called Yuva. It was a bit on the expensive side, but the food was the best ever and the ambiance was perfect. I recommend getting the mint parantha bread if you ever find yourself in New York. Plus, put this restaurant on your list of places to eat. My friend Brian didn’t know this, but I went back every night I was here and tried a different dish each time. So scrumptious, so tasty, so satisfying.

The next day I spent time at my favorite haunts, the Greenwich Village, Soho and my most favorite, the East Village. I did a one time big shopping spree and I hope all my stuff will get through customs at Heathrow International Airport. Later, in the evening, I once again hooked up with Brian and this time he brought his wife. She’s stunning! I can see why he married her. But tonight, instead of going to eat India, we headed to our favorite pub, the Irish Cottage pub in Queens.

I spent the next day dealing with a hangover. I was still hungover at JFK and I slept it off on the plane taking me back home to London.  Time to get back to the real world, and leave the wonderful land of New York behind, well at least until next year.

Tags: East Village, New York Business hotels, Yuva

Marrugeku in Perth

The western city of Perth has been inhabited by human beings for at least 40,000 years.  There is still a large indigenous population here, and the culture has a long presence here that gives it the weight and depth of a complicated and fascinating history.  Perth is also one of the most livable cities in the world right now.  There are populations from all over the world inhabiting the city, and it’s easy to see why.  It is very, very hot, that’s true, but it is also extremely diverse, with a buzzing urban center, and it’s close to the ocean, besides.  There are plenty of museums and galleries, a great performing arts scene, as well as excellent restaurants and hotels.  Perth has an awful lot to offer visitors of all ages, and is a spectacular place to take a holiday.

There is also a very large portion of the population here that is from elsewhere, and this gives it a constantly evolving cultural landscape, as well as a genuine spirit of hospitality.  There is room here for new traditions, ideas, and sensibilities, and this makes for a great arts scene.  There are some excellent theater companies all over the city, as well as a splendid dance scene, and some amazing experimental works coming from a variety of sources.  These all come together, however, with the evocative, and spectacular spectacles of Marrugeku.

This is a local company who blend Aboriginal dance forms with intense physical theatre, video projections, and circus-like acrobatics, to make for large-scale works that are simultaneously crowd-pleasing and cutting edge.  The level of cultural experiment here is high, and they like to mix and create things that sometimes clash and sometimes blend, and sometimes it’s a bit of everything at once.  Their latest work, Burning Daylight is a perfect demonstration of their aesthetic at work.  This work is set in Broome, where the cultural mix is Aboriginal Australian, with immigrant communities which are Malay, Chinese, and Japanese.  Cultures come up against each other, and cultural forms are put together on stage, to make for a performance that is extremely exciting visually, as well as cerebrally, asking important and immediate questions for the here and now.

Tags: Burning Daylight, hotels Perth, Marrugeku

Singapore’s Esplanade Theatre on the Bay

Singapore has an incredible arts scene that is diverse in various genre offerings and styles of performance. This perspective is applicable to the theatre, dance, opera and music scenes of Singapore as well as the city-state’s cuisine. The diverse food offerings in Singapore compliment its cultural aspects and art scene. Among the more prominent arts venues is the Esplanade- Theatre on the Bay. Most of the tourists who stay in one of the five star hotels Singapore visit the Esplanade at some point in their trip. This prestigious company includes a concert hall, a recital studio, library, exhibit space and theatres. The multi-functional complex houses major musical productions and small independent original works.

The concert hall has state of the art acoustics and there is estimated to only be five other venues in the world with this degree of technological acoustic design. Up to one hundred and twenty musicians can fit on the orchestral platform and it has an audience capacity of 1,600 people. The hall’s organ was custom designed and built be world renowned organ designer Johannes Klais Orgelbau. It has over four thousand pipes and sixty one stops. The theatre is two-thousand seat adaptation of traditional European opera houses. It is Singapore’s largest performing arts stage and can house a variety of performance styles. It was designed so that the seat that is farthest from the stage is only forty meters away, which enables the theatre to be extremely suitable for intimate productions as well as major musical events.

The recital studio has a maximum capacity of two hundred twenty and is generally used to present experimental works and dance performances. The seating is both mobile and retractable so that the space can be configured in various ways. The recital studio is perfectly suited for chamber music performances. It also hosts business meetings and seminars. It is able to seat two hundred and fifty people when it is used for a performance. It is also frequently used for orchestral and choir rehearsals.

Tags: five star hotels Singapore, Johannes Klais Orgelbau, orchestral, Theatre on the Bay

Getting Ecological in New York

Hiking the trail at the Niagara River Gorge, where Niagara Falls first began over 12,000 years ago, is totally breathtaking; in more ways than one.  If you would like to get a closer look at nature, I recommend walking. Looking down on the river was truly an incredible experience. The sounds, the smells, the wildlife are almost surreal. I sound of the river got louder as we progressed along the trail, it became louder and louder until we came upon the full force of the Niagara.

My husband, George, took an ecological tour, which started not too far from one of the Buffalo, New York casino hotels where we were staying. For three whole hours they marveled at the free show nature put on for all the visitors. He’s not a big bird watcher, but the sheer number of birds amazed him. He saw turkey vultures and hawks. He had always taken it for granted this marvelous natural resource.

We found out during our stay in Buffalo, which is only about 15 minutes from Niagara, that there is so much to be learned from the waters the surround us. The summer may be the right time for the ecological tour my husband took, gives people a chance to explore some mystical waterways while they learn about their environment. What’s even better, are some of the earth-friendly tours offering participants a slice of the action, like biking, hiking, paddling, boating, or simple going along for the ride.

Many people don’t know the trails are here. Part of the mission of these ecological tours is to show the visitors not only the waterfront, but just what a special place Niagara is, plus have a great time doing it. My husband and me had one of the most intriguing times here, we’ll definitely recommend this place to all our friends and acquaintances.

Tags: New York casino hotels, Niagara River Gorge

Dipti Khera Writing Udaipur

As one of the most lovely and mysterious cities on the planet, it’s easy to see why Udaipur has been such a favorite romantic destination for the rich and famous for so many years.  There’s a lovely lake that reflects the most exotic city line that anyone’s ever seen, and with palaces that look like they could be in the movies – and they actually are in movie – it’s easy to fall in love here, or to stay in love.  There is also a rich and vibrant cultural scene, with many attractions that will keep the young and the young at heart happy.  There are, of course, absolutely marvelous five star hotels.  Udaipur has a fantastic tradition of hospitality, and knows how to keep visitors coming back.

There is also a rich nightlife, with amazing clubs and discos, where the rich and famous can gaze upon each other, and there’s dancing until the wee hours of the morning.  There are also fabulous restaurants, serving mouth-watering creations that speak to the best of Indian and International dining.  In your tours of the city, you can enjoy learning about its spectacular history, its fantastic kingdoms of olden days that give the palaces even more exotic flavor.  This is, in many ways, the India of the imagination, as it was pictured during the days when anthropologists wore pith helmets.  It’s actually extremely fascinating to look at how this image of Udaipur was created, and it’s worthy of close study.

Dipti Khera is a graduate student at Columbia University in New York, and this is one of her areas of interest.  Looking at the history of art to find out when Udaipur was becoming this city of dreams, representing an India that could correspond to the imagination of the west, there are many traces to suggest that it has some of its most vivacious roots in travel writing.  In this case, the writer is James Tod in the 19th century.  But the origins go back much further than that.  Khera‘s work is really quite extraordinary, bringing in a number of influences to bear on the creation of art and artistic productions that speak of nationhood in all its complexities.

Tags: Dipti Khera, five star hotels Udaipur, Khera