Buses are still available into the city, though we feel the arrival of the MRT has made these redundant – at least for international visitors. Passengers overburdened with luggage may wish to take a taxi – rides into the city are usually quick and not that expensive (particularly if sharing the cost with a friend). Estimated transfer time to downtown > about 45 minutes from clearance of immigration procedures

Many of the world’s top airlines have frequent flights to Singapore. Among them are British Airways, United Airlines, Air France, Air New Zealand, Qantas Airways, Cathay Pacific, Thai Airways and of course, Singapore International Airlines.

Getting Around In Singapore

The efficient and clean public transportation in Singapore makes getting around the Republic a breeze. Singapore’s transportation network offers access to every corner of the island, either by bus, MRT (Singapore’s underground rail network), taxis, rented cars and motorbikes or even by foot.

Public buses operate from 6 in the morning to midnight everyday and fares are a little cheaper than the MRT, and far more comprehensive. There are also several bus routes especially useful to sightseers. Singapore has two main bus companies plying its roads – the Trans-Island Bus Services and the Singapore Bus Service.

Most fares depend on distance travelled and range from 50c to S$1.10 for non-air conditioned buses, and 60c to S$1.40 for air-conditioned comfort. There are buses charging a flat rate to the destinations displayed on the destination plates in front of the bus.

A useful tip for travellers is to avoid rush hour traffic between 8 to 9 in the morning, and 5 to 7 in the evening. Singapore at anytime outside these hours still remains a pleasure to roam about in.

Where To Stay:

Hotels are plentiful in Singapore and many are world-class, you’ll have to kick yourself if you can’t find any around. However, I don’t think they have any really low cost dorms or rooms for backpackers. Hotels in Singapore may cost a bit more, but the service offered is very good.

In Orchard Road, a great place to stay is The Four Seasons Hotel. The rooms are spacious with tasteful artwork. I think there is like an attendant for each guest.

Where To Eat

Singapore is where you need to be if food and flavor have a special place in your heart: few spots on earth offer the variety of culinary temptations that can be found in the Lion City.

Chinese, Malay, Indian, or European – the huge range of choices are made even more appealing by the fact that eating in Singapore can be extremely inexpensive.

The Moomba. Upper Circular Road, serves great Australian food.

Michelangelos and Sistina. Authentic Italian food at Holland Village

What To See

Wild breakfast at Singapore Zoo. Fancy breakfast with one of the Singapore Zoo’s famed animals? This coach tour will give you the experience in a new concept in animal keeping with the zoo’s beautifully landscaped gardens and very few cages and of course you will enjoy a ‘Wild Breakfast’ with the friendly 10 metre python, the Orang Utan and a small-clawed otter

Where To Shop

Singapore’s main shopping district is at Orchard Road. You can find almost anything you can imagine in the shopping centers here. There is this place called The Forum; which has the biggest Toys ‘R Us in Singapore, kids love it.

Electronic goods are sold at duty-free prices in Singapore, and there are many great deals around. Many items are available immediately from their global launch in Japan or Europe.

Best places to shop for electronics in Singapore are at Sim Lim Square, Lucky Plaza and Far East Plaza. You can find everything from digital cameras, DV camcorders, DVDs, cell phones and even GPS equipment. Techie types are really spoilt for choice here.

Entertainment

The hip and trendy like to hang out at Zouk and Velvet Undeground. The two clubs are easily the best clubs in the island.

Thos who appreciate classical music would want to check out The Singapore Cultural Theatre and the Victoria Hall.

All rooms have modern furnishings and have an en suite bathroom with hairdryer, a direct dial telephone, TV, a fridge, central heating, air conditioning and a safe. The rooms with lounges are more spacious and offer a separate seating area. Some lodgings include a balcony as standard.

Activities

The hotel has a swimming pool with a children’s pool and a sun terrace with sun loungers and parasols. It is also possible to play billiards/ snooker and darts. The nearest golf course is a mere 10 km from the hotel.

There is a refundable breakage deposit of €150 to be paid on arrival.

A holiday in the UK was deemed to be a cheaper option for those families who decided that despite being priced out of a holiday abroad, a holiday in the UK was still a viable option. The towns and cities that most reaped the benefits of this were Blackpool, Bournemouth and Brighton as well as other famous destinations such as Newquay and Cornwall.

Other UK destinations that felt the benefit of the influx in staycations were the Scottish Highlands and Llyn Peninsula in North Wales. Some hotel and cottage owners reported there best figures in during the summer months for over 30 years, which just shows how successful this summer has been for tourism in the UK.

The fear however is that this success may not be repeated next year as the unpredictable summer weather hampered many holidays prompting many families to admit that they would rather pay extra and get some sunshine. Nobody can predict for certain the weather for next summer but if it is as poor as this year, UK tourism may not get the same boost.

One way you can combat the British weather is to visit a holiday park as they account for everything including poor summer weather. They combat the poor weather by putting on a range of shows that are held in-door so to take the tourists minds off the weather and on the great performances that are happening right in front of them.

Holiday parks have a wide range of activities for all the family including sports for the older children and kids clubs for the young ones. As parents you want to ensure that your children are playing in a safe environment and you can as all clubs and activities are supervised by experienced and trained staff. This means you can spend more time relaxing and enjoying your break.

There are plenty of places for you to relax in including a choice of restaurants and bars and the range of shows available. The success of this summer will be hard to repeat next year but with some great deals on UK holidays available, a staycation is definitely worth considering.

Imagine to be able to laze around your own private white sandy beach overlooking te crystal clear sea water close to the beauty of nature with total peace and tranquility.

Rooms

They have 30 cottages, 60 rooms. Their suite (64 sqm) has open concept living room. It has mezzanine bedroom, living room, beach front terrace with beautiful view.

Activities

• Family outbound
• Snorkeling
• Banana boat
• Fishing
• Jukung adventure
• Indonesian traditional massage
• Water sport
• Kids club
• Kids pool
• Swimming pool
• Pool table
• Table tennis

Visit their website here.

Prague, the capital of Czech Republic, is situated in the heart of Europe.

Prague International Airport is served by dozens of international carriers from most major cities. A convenient Airport Shuttle Bus service operates between the airport and the center of Prague. Other means of transport are avaliable as well.

Trains run daily between Prague and most major European cities; Paris, Amsterdam, Munich and Vienna are some major hubs.

Getting Around In Prague

Central Prague is very compact and walkable. If your hotel is in the Old Town, or almost anywhere in Prague 1, you can probably walk wherever you want to go. If you need transportation, Prague offers a multitude of options.

Metro: Prague’s metro is fast and reliable. There are several metro lines and all come thru the center of the city, with the main stops at Staremeska (Old Town) and Mustek (Wenceslas Square). It costs only 12 crowns per trip (about 40 Eurocents). There are discount cards for 3 or more days, but you are unlikely to need public transport that much to realize any savings.

Trams: The trams are very convenient and travel surface routes that the metro misses. Especially useful to visitors are the lines that run along the river. The trams use the same tickets as the buses and metro, and transfers are allowed between them. Trams allow you to see much more of the city than the metro, but they can get very crowded during the rush hour.

Buses: Like the trams the buses run outward from the city towards the suburbs. These can be useful if your hotel is outside the city center or you have a reason to venture further.

Taxis: Public transportation peters out around 1:30 am so many people need to take a taxi back to their hotel late at night. Prague’s taxi system is notorious for ripping off unsuspecting tourists.

Their methods are many, but often involve no meter or a meter that runs too fast. The best idea is to negotiate a price before going anywhere. It shouldn’t cost more than 300 crowns (about 10 Euros) to go anywhere within the center of the city, up to around 500 crowns for outlying regions.

Where To Stay

Prague has a long tradition of hospitality having hosted generations of travellers, thinkers and invading armies. However, to the modern guest this may not be immediately apparent as the tradition of customer service is somewhat shorter. Generally, centrally-located hotels are more expensive because of their proximity to Prague’s sights, but the further you travel into residential Prague, the cheaper the rooms become.

Élite Hotel. Praha 1, Ostrovni 32.

With a history that dates back to the 14th century, the hotel Élite, a member of the Small Charming group, is another of those gems that keep popping up.

Where To Eat

One of the great pleasures of life is to dine well. In Prague this pleasure is considered to be part of life, not something reserved for special occasions. In fact few European capitals can claim a greater variety or more sophisticated cuisine than can be enjoyed in Prague’s hundreds of restaurants.

And when you consider the low cost of dining out in Prague, you can understand why it’s so hip to visit this culinary mecca.

U Fleku Brewery and Restaurant. Authentic Czech food in the heart of the city.

Govinda Vegetarian Club. One of the best vegetarian restaurant in the worlds is in the middle of Prague city.

What To See

Visit Hradcany. (Prague Castle) The largest ancient castle in the world – 570m (1870ft) long, an average of 128m (420ft) wide and occupying 7.28 hectares (18 acres).

Visit the Strahovsky Klaster. (An old monastery). Don’t miss Prague Castle’s less famous attractions, such as the network of tunnels the communist government built in 1950 for easy access to the bomb shelters.

Entertainment

Prague is not only a major historical and cultural site but a fun city to visit. It offers many restaurants, traditional Czech pubs, jazz clubs, concert halls, discos, etc. One can attend the ballet, opera, philharmonic, or theater for just a few dollars.

The Prague Spring International Music Festival, the Agharta Jazz Festival, and the Prague Dance Festival (Tanec Praha) attract some of the world’s top talents as well as audiences from around the world. Prague is also the home to many museums and galleries such as the National Museum, the National Gallery, the Prague Castle Picture Gallery, the Mucha Museum, etc.

Whether you are coming to Vegas for the casinos and hopes of finding fame and fortune, the fabulous shows and big name headliners, the wonderful food that is one of the biggest sins to be found in this city, golf, marriage and happily ever after, or the nightlife that has earned Vegas the title of ‘Sin City’. You are well on your way to an experience you are unlikely to forget.

While Vegas has not always been thought of us an appropriate vacation destination for those with families, this city is really trying to mend its ways and foster a more family-friendly reputation. They are even developing resorts and hotels with kids and family entertainment in mind. From theme park like atmospheres to everything in between the Vegas hotels of today are marketing to a much younger audience.

If you haven’t checked out some of the newer hotel and resort experiences in Vegas, perhaps now is the ideal time in which to do so. There are so many fun ways to enjoy your time in Vegas that the problem isn’t choosing which casino to visit or which hotel you want to stay in, it’s deciding which attractions you must see and which attractions you can actually live without.

In order to attract visitors hotels and resorts are going to further and further extremes and levels of competition. Some of these hotels have even gone to the extent of bringing thrill rides into the mix in an effort to attract new guests and thrill seekers. If it isn’t rides that are being offered it’s the biggest shows and brightest stars to perform for your pleasure. With the tight competition among casinos for your business it’s hard to imagine just how much money these hotels and casinos are bringing in each and every year but you can rest assured they wouldn’t be constantly building, upgrading, and offering more and more features and services if it wasn’t a highly profitable endeavor for them.

The fierce competition among hotels and casinos is good news to some extent for you as a potential guest. The tightness of the competition keeps the prices relatively affordable and allows you to pick and choose which hotel you want according to the services and amenities they offer rather than by the prices of the rooms. In fact, if you find another hotel that you aren’t as interested in for less money, try bartering with the hotel you prefer. It is very possible to get a lower price by going back and forth between two or three competing hotels.

Saving money in Vegas

Saving money is a great idea in Vegas, the more money you save on hotel accommodations, the more money you’ll have to spend on the entertainment of choice. Also consider some of the ‘perks’ offered by hotels when considering the price of the rooms. Some of the perks will include complimentary breakfast buffets or lunch and dinner buffets. Compare the price of buying breakfast to the price difference in the room before you make your ultimate decision. Some of them offer show tickets or discounts such as buy one get one free offers for attractions that may have been on your itinerary at any rate. It’s always good to shop for the best bargain and Vegas is one of those cities where it can’t really hurt to ask for a better deal.