Vacation Home Rental

Bring to mind Nottingham and mostly all visitors recall the legend of Sir Robin Hood of Sherwood Forest and though folklore attracts many folk year after year there is plenty more to the city of Nottingham than meets the eye. Infact the city of Nottingham is home to a respectable selection of interesting tourist attractions making it an excellent base for a short break and the article below discusses the city and a few of attractions in Nottingham, and also some guest houses offering Nottingham B&B accommodation.

The city of Nottingham is in Nottinghamshire, in the East Midlands of  England. As well as Sherwood Forest, the legend of Robin Hood, his merry men and the Sheriff of Nottingham, Nottingham is also renowned for the lace making business especially during the Industrial Revolution when it gained a worldwide reputation for excellence.

Nottingham Lace Market

At one time the heart of the worldwide lace industry, during the time of the British Empire, Nottingham’s Lace Market is, today, a protected heritage area. It  is home to many splendid examples of 19th Century industrial architecture. The Lace Market wasn’t like a normal market area, instead of featuring stalls and salesmen, the lace market was a number of warehouses and salesrooms displaying and selling lace. After the decline in the lace industry the area became rundown however, today, the majority of the fine warehouses have been restored and renovated for alternative use for instance photographic studios and similar. The Nottingham Lace Market is a popular tourist attraction.

Shire Hall & Galleries of Justice

Not a great distance from the Lace Market can be found the Galleries of Justice in Shire Hall. Shire Hall is a Georgian civic building featuring Neoclassical columns, pilasters and dome. The front of the hall has, if you look at it closely, a spelling error Goal instead of Gaol. The Hall has two excellently preserved courtrooms from the Victorian period plus old cells, a women’s prison, bath house, an Edwardian police station and a prisoner’s exercise yard.

Nottingham is a fantastic place to have a short city break. You will find lots to see and do within the city and an selection number of tourist attractions nearby. Places well worth a visit include; Newstead Abbey, Hardwick Hall and Wollaton Hall.

As all all bed & breakfast in England, accommodation in Nottingham is commonly first class at a reasonable rate and many visitors choose to stay in Nottingham for part of their break and then elsewhere for the remaining nights.

Lanzarote in the Canary Islands is home to three main holiday resorts.  Along with the Millionaire’s Marina of Puerto Calero.  Which boasts two upmarket hotels and a host of expensive yachts and craft as well as plenty of good quality restaurants.

Each resort has its own history, character, attractions and plus points. With all of them offering high standards of accommodation and boasting an excellent selection of Lanzarote villas and hotels.

So where can you find some of the best holiday resorts renowned for a wide selection of self catering Lanzarote apartments and villas.

Puerto del Carmen

Puerto del Carmen started life as La Tiñosa before becoming Lanzarote´s most popular holiday destination during the 1970´s.  Thanks to an abundance of good value holiday apartment complexes…  Accommodation choices have evolved along with the resort and visitors can now select from a wide range of hotels and holiday villas too.

Puerto del Carmen is an ideal location for all types of holiday makers.  As the resort is perfect for families with young children. Thanks to the fine quality of the resort’s blue flag beaches.  Whilst also offering lots of child friendly attractions such as the Rancho Texas Theme Park – which offers kids an abundance of Wild West themed fun and games.

Villas In Costa Teguise

Situated just fifteen minutes north of Lanzarote´s international airport at Arrecife Costa Teguise was initially designed as the island’s upmarket resort.  And during the 1980´s it proved very successful at attracting moneyed visitors from countries such as Germany, Sweden and Denmark.

Costa Teguise´s excellent beaches and wide open plan feel helped to establish this as the second most popular spot on the island during the 1980´s.  But that crown slipped somewhat during the 1990´s as the resort rival of Playa Blanca was developed at the southern end of the island.  However it still remains an attractive destination and there’s plenty of hotels and holiday villas in Costa Teguise for visitors to choose from.

Playa Blanca

Playa Blanca was the last of the main resorts on the island to be developed during the 1990´s.  And has quickly emerged to become the second most popular destination on the island – thanks to a winning combination of great beaches and fantastic weather.  As well as a fine range of hotels and holiday villas.

There are three main beaches within the resort itself in the form of Playa Dorada, Playa Flamingo and Playa Blanca.  Whilst the famously picturesque coves and bays of Papagayo are around a fifteen minute walk away from the town centre.

Visit here for the best accommodation in Lanzarote help.

Lanzarote is a popular holiday island, located in the Canaries.  Which are the seven strong Spanish owned island group situated off the coast of West Africa.  On the same line of longitude as parts of Mexico and the Bahamas.  Enabling visitors to enjoy great weather whatever the time of the year. This clement climate has helped to establish the Canaries as one of the most visited destinations in Spain.  And during the course of 2008 alone over 1.5 million foreign tourists enjoyed holidays in Lanzarote – the fourth largest and most easterly island in the group.

So lets find out why family holidays in Lanzarote remain so popular and choosing one of the villas in Lanzarote that the island has to offer is fast becoming the popular holiday accommodation  choice amongst travellers.

Lanzarote is very different from the other islands in the Canaries.  As they are all greener and more lush, whilst Lanzarote is dry and barren.  Which can be attributed to the fact that Lanzarote experiences very little in the way of rainfall and has a very arid terrain created by volcanic eruptions over 250 years ago.

Today this region of the island occupies about a quarter of Lanzarote´s total land mass.  And is a hugely popular visitor attraction, known locally as The Fire Mountains or Timanfaya.  Where visitors can view a lunar like landscape that has served as a backdrop for a number of science fiction films and most recently the latest release from Spanish director Pedro Almodovar, Broken Embraces.  Which stars Penelope Cruz and which was shot on location around the island.

There are plenty of places to stay on the island.  With visitors able to choose from a large selection of Lanzarote villas, hotels and apartments.  The bulk of which are located in the main resorts of Playa Blanca, Puerto del Carmen and Costa Teguise.  Whilst rural tourism has also started to grow in popularity over the last few years.

There are over ninety beaches for visitors to explore.  Many of these are man made in the resorts – using sand imported from the Sahara.  So tourists should head for coastal villages such as Famara and Arrieta to experience the best all natural stretches of sand on the island.

Many first time visitors are surprised by the wide range of cultural attractions on offer too.  After all isn’t this supposed to be Lanzagrotty?  There’s an abundance of fascinating museums, such as the Emigration Museum which charts what happened to islanders after the volcanic eruptions as they fled to create new lives abroad.  A wealth of historic towns such as Teguise – the island capital until 1852.  And the various works of the local artist Cesar Manrique – who had a huge influence on the development of tourism on Lanzarote.

For holiday bargains and villa offers go to our holidays and apartments travel website.

Summer may be over in mainland Spain but there are outposts where the season never ends.  Such as the Canaries – the seven islands which are situated just off the coast of West Africa, many hundreds of miles south of the Iberian Peninsula.  A location that creates a great climate all year round.

As a result the Canaries welcome visitors throughout the year and after Catalonia are the second most popular holiday destination in Spain.  Arrivals have fallen by around 20% during 2009 thanks to the current economic crisis.  But millions of tourists will still be booking holidays in the region this autumn, despite the downturn.

The Canaries are just four hours flying time from the UK.  Making these islands the closest winter destination to sun starved Northern Europe.  And this year the cost of flights to Lanzarote are set to fall – thanks to growing competition on this route between the big guns of the low cost flight world, easyJet and Ryanair.  The latter has firmly switched their focus to the Canaries this winter and will be operating 16 new services to Lanzarote from airports across the UK. 

So what can visitors expect from their winter holidays on these volcanic islands?  On Lanzarote the temperature usually remains in the early 20´s Celsius – even during the darkest days of December.  With very little rainfall and plenty of sunshine hours.  The sun doesn’t set here until 6pm at the earliest either.  Making it a great destination for those who hate the dark winter afternoons of the UK. 

Accommodation standards are high – as the island has been welcoming tourists for over forty years.  Choose from chic rural hotels, budget apartments and luxury villas in Lanzarote.  With the bulk of holidays now booked direct on online thanks to the growth in internet usage over the last five years.

Naturally as in any service business the increase in demand for Lanzarote apartments and villas is good news for long and short stay visitors to Lanzarote as property owners are being driven to ensure accommodation is well furnished, and all mod cons and traditional extras are now included gratis

Playa Blanca is the resort to head for if you’re planning a winter break on the island.  As thanks to it’s southerly location it enjoys the best weather and most sunshine hours.  As well as boasting some of the best beaches on the island.  There’s a decent selection of villas in Playa Blanca for holidaymakers to choose from too.  With high quality rental properties available in areas such as Rubicon Marina and Costa Papagayo.  And with prices starting from around £400 per week for a standard two bedroom villa with pool.

The island is a great all year holiday destination with many outstanding resorts. Follow the links for even more information about Playa Blanca villas in particular or other Lanzarote villas and apartments.

The popular holiday island of Lanzarote is located in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Africa. And is part of the Canarian archipelago, once thought by scholars to be the remnants of the lost city of Atlantis.  In more modern times though Lanzarote has become an exceptionally popular holiday destination welcoming millions of travellers each year .

Yet these seven Spanish owned islands are by no means all birds of a feather, As each has its own separate character and culture.  A typical example of this is the governance of the islands with the eastern islands of Lanzarote and Fuerteventura being governed from Las Palmas on Gran Canaria.  Whilst El Hierro, La Gomera and La Palma are governed from Tenerife.

Lanzarote hasn’t only been a recent tourist destination though as the islands has been attracting British and foreign visitors since the 1900’s .  But more modern tourism was stifled for many years by the political regime of General Franco, and didn’t really start again until the 70’s As the area was in desperate need of a boost to its economy after years of restriction.

It’s amazing how the calming effect of time can change fortunes and today the island welcomes visitors that number into the millions as they arrive from all over Europe and other parts of the world, and bizarrely even tourist from the Spanish mainland.  Many of whom seek to swap the oven like heat of the peninsula for the cooler and more temperate climes of the Canaries during August.

Holiday trends have changed in recent years and with an upsurge in internet usage coupled with excellent transportation links to the Island, independent travellers are on the increase.  This has led to an upsurge in demand for apartments and villas in Lanzarote. With self catering holiday accommodation in the main resorts making up a sizeable proportion of the total amount of tourist beds now available on the island.

The most luxurious private rental villas in Puerto del Carmen can be located in areas such as Risco Prieto.  Which sits right at the top of the Old Town, overlooking the picturesque harbour area which is currently under development into a luxury marina.

Whilst travellers looking for villas in Playa Blanca should concentrate their search on the Montana Roja and Rubicon Marina areas.  As this area has a particularly wide range of quality rental accommodation at reasonable prices.

Not all holidays are cantered around the coastal resorts however, and as more tourist prefer to experience the true atmosphere of the island, rural holiday are increasing in popularity.  Visitors that take time out to tour the island are amazed to find out how unspoiled it is .  This ultimately prompts many to return time and time again to experience the real Lanzarote in countryside fincas and rural apartments.

Perth in Scotland a former royal burgh can be found at the head of the Tay estuary. Between the C12th and C15th the city fought with Dunfermline for the title to be the capital of the country. In the article below I write about three places to visit in Perth, Scotland; Elcho Castle, Scone Palace and Huntingtower Castle:

Scone Palace

Today, home of the Earls of Mansfield is Scone Palace, and a immensely popular attraction to visitors from across the globe. The palace of Scone is an integral part of the history of Scotland, as the kings of Scotland were once crowned there. Robert the Bruce was crowned at Scone Palace, in 1306, as was Charles II when he took ownership of the Scottish Crown in 1651. There is a beautiful and mysterious atmosphere to the palace, which is justifiably so.In the past the site acted as an important gathering place of the Picts and there was also a church on the site said to be early christian.

Elcho Castle

Lying about 3 miles from the city of Perth, with breathtaking views across the River Tay, is Elcho Castle. The castle is one of the prime examples of 16th century workmanship in Scotland today. The Wemyss family authorized the building of the castle in the 1570’s. The land had been in the family since 1468, when it was granted to them by King James III. In 1633, the leader of the family was given the titles of Earl of Wemyss and Lord Elcho. Elcho Castle and it’s lands remained in possession of the Wemyss family until 1929. It was then, the 11th Earl of Wemyss, gifted the castle to Scotland. The castle has recently been restored and is now in the hands of Historic Scotland.

Huntingtower Castle

Located just to the west of Perth is the medieval pile of Huntingtower Castle. Even though the castle is medieval in origin, it has been significantly redeveloped throughout the majoprity of it’s history. The Ruthven family were the owners of the lands and castle from the 1100’s to the 1600’s. During this time the castle consisted of two separate towers, built 3 meters apart. When the Murray family took occupancy, later on in the seventeenth century, they decided to amalgamate the two towers, making the house appear more like a conventional country abode. The bridging work between the two towers is still rather noticeable today, both inside and out.

If you are thinking about a city vacation in Perth you will discover a large amount of online Perth hotels and guest houses and you will discover a huge selection at http://www.perthhotelscotland.com/

The city of Cardiff is not only the Welsh capital city, but also the most popular tourist destination in Wales other than London, the capital of England. The city is also the biggest of the cities in Wales, but it remained but a rather small town until the time of the start of the 19th century. It was during the early 19C when the small Welsh town of Cardiff grew into a considerably busy seaport involved in the transportation of coal mined locally, plus other various light and heavy industry. Cardiff eventually received city status on 28th October 1905 from King Edward VII of England, however, strangely, it only became the capital city of Wales on 20th December nineteen fifty five. After Cardiff was declared the capital it became the home of a number of national institutions, such as the University of Wales Registry Building, the National Museum of Wales and the Welsh National War Memorial. For a surprising amount of time now the companies involved in I.T. have seen excellent rates of expansion as well as, to a lesser degree other industry sectors, most noticeably in service industries. The tourism industry has also witnessed dramatic growth and today there are surprising numbers of places providing Cardiff bed and breakfast.

Tourist Attractions To Visit In Cardiff

Although Cardiff has been a city for only 100 years, surprisingly there has actually been a castle in Cardiff for two thousand years, or thereabouts. The Cardiff Castle which is currently there is, most probably, the most popular visitor attraction in the city and can be found right in the very heart of the city centre. It is possible for tourists to partake in a guided tour investigating the castle interior, and, enjoy a pleasant walk around and about the stunningly picturesque gardens of the castle. You will also find a new Interpretation Centre at the castle which displays the different development stages, of the castle,  across the ages from the time of the Romans right up to present times.

The city of Cardiff also has a fair few modern tourist attractions including the wonderful Techniquest, one of the UK’s greatest centres for Science Discovery. At the Science Discovery centre you will be presented with more than one hundred hands on exhibits, designed to entertain and educate folk of all ages. The centre has a hi-tech Science Theatre, a Discovery Room, a laboratory and a planetarium.

There are a great many more visitor attractions to see in the Welsh city of Cardiff, so, if you are in the process of considering spending a few weeks there it is incredibly important that you reserve your  accommodation at your first opportunity because, sadly guest houses and hotels in Cardiff tend to be surprisingly busy and are frequently fully booked for months in advance. If your family is large you might find that apartment accommodation in Cardiff turns out to be a reasonable option to bed and breakfast accommodation.

Dundee has been the site of a settlement for as far back as the time of the Picts. The city of Dundee, the fourth largest city to be found in the nation of Scotland, has a long association with commerce and trade. The 3 main industries, in the city of Dundee, were “jam, jute and journalism”.  Though dundee can be described as city which is post-industrial it has something of a mixed economy and it still has a large percentage of its population employed in the manufacturing industry (by comparison with the rest of the country), roughly 13.5 percent. In recent years the tourist industry has started to become a rather important part of the local economy and there are a large number of hotels offering bed and breakfast accommodation in Dundee and in the text below I discuss the reader to 3 Dundee visitor attractions; Verdant Works, Discover Point Visitor Centre and Sensation Science Centre:

Discover Point Visitor Centre

Discovery Point is a immensely interesting and award-winning Dundee visitor attraction which explains the tale of one of the most heroic  exploration voyages ever, the story of the world famous Antarctic explorer, Captain Robert Falcon Scott, and his first ship,  RRS Discovery. On March 21st, 1901, the Discovery was launched from the Panmure Shipyard, Dundee. Captain Scott and his crew set off for Antarctica on August the sixth nineteen hundred and one, reaching there in January nineteen hundred and two. The RRS Discovery is the major element of the visitor centre having been fully renovated from the top to the bottom. Steep stairs and narrow passageways can cause difficulty in getting about for those with mobility issues, luckily, visitors will find there is an audio visual presentation on the dockside.

The Sensation Science Centre

If you are searching for a tourist attraction that the whole family can enjoy, then Dundee’s Sensation Science Centre is the ideal solution. Sensation Dundee is the only science centre in Britain which is focused upon the body’s five senses. You can discover the miracles of sciences  through the use of the human body’s senses with the aid of in excess of eighty interactive exhibits. You will also find live shows of scientific experiments and demonstrations, demonstrating how common ingredients found around the home can be used to amazing effect. People interested in surgery are even able to have a go at trying keyhole surgery. Sensation brings science to life in lots of incredibly fascinating ways.

Verdant Works

Verdant Works  was, once, a working jute mill. At it’s peak, during the eighteen sixties and seventies, the industry in Dundee had a workforce of roughly fifty thousand people in over sixty factories dispersed across Dundee. These days,  Verdant Works brings this industry to life, utilising a range of displays which include, interactive computers, original machinery and film shows. This remarkable museum was once home to 3 extremely large steam engines which ran seventy looms and nearly 3 thousand spindles.  There was also five hundred workers working there, spinning and preparing jute then weaving it in another factory over the road. Restoration of the jute mill began in nineteen ninety two and it first opened its doors to the public on the sixteenth of September nineteen ninety six.

If you are planning to have a weekend break in Dundee you will discover plenty of online hotels and guest houses providing bed and breakfast accommodation in Dundee. You will discover a broad range of Dundee hotels and guest houses at http://dundee.hotelreservationhelper.com/

The ‘Fair City’ of Perth in Scotland is also frequently called to as the  ‘Gateway to the Highlands’. Sited on the River Tay’s banks, the town of Perth was, for centuries, the capital of Scotland and back in the medieval period the busy little town was locally known as Saint Johnstoun (St. John’s Town). The name of Perth, or, in Gaelic, Peairt, derives from a word of the Picts which means a copse or wood. These days  this beautiful little market town is a great place for a vacation with a great many Perth bed and breakfasts to choose from.

Whether you will find that there are a great many things to interest you in Perth and the surrounding area. Visitor attractions include; sport and leisure pursuits, shopping, historical attractions and restaurants and many other entertainments. Not that long ago the town was a very busy port profiting from the export of bleached products, linen, leather and whisky. Nowadays the tourist industry creates income and much appreciated employment for the area’s youth who happily take up employment in the many Perth hotels and guest houses and similar enterprises.

One of the most popular visitor attractions, near to Perth, is Scone Palace, one of the finest historical country homes in the Scottish nation. Here visitors can discover the fascinating past of the palace, where Scottish kings were once crowned including, Robert The Bruce who took to the throne in 1306.

About 3 miles away, from Perth, one can find the 16C Elcho Castle, which has the most stunning vistas over the River Tay. The castle dates back to around 1570 when it’s construction was commissioned by the Wemyss family who were it’s owners until the year nineteen twenty nine. The Castle is now in the possession of Historic Scotland.

Only a short distance west of Perth is the fine medieval structure of Huntingtower Castle. Located in stunning Huntingtower Castle has undergone numerous redevelopments and alterations over the centuries. Huntingtower began life as a pair of clearly separate towers but constructed rather closely together.

As well as the visitor attractions mentioned earlier the town of Perth has many more, meaning that it is an awesome place for a vacation for the family. Attractions and places, to see, to be found in Perth and the surrounding area include the following; Kinnoull Hill, Perthshire Visitor Centre, Perth Ice Rink, Strathearn and the Glenturret Distillery.

If you are planning to have a holiday in Perth you will discover a large selection of online Perth hotels and guest houses and you will find a massive listing at http://www.perthhotelscotland.com/

In recent Years growing numbers folk are looking for new destinations which offer something completely different or, the absolute minimum something different to the common bar and beach vacation. Under the current economic conditions large numbers of families are, alarmingly realizing that they have a great deal less money for investing in a family vacation and are, frustratingly, having to making cutbacks to save cash. A way of meeting this requirement is to search for a less expensive destination. In the following article I introduce readers to the English city of Birmingham. With the pound Sterling so weak against the euro and dollar hotels and guest houses in Birmingham are  much cheaper than last year.

The city of Birmingham is situated in the English county known as the West Midlands  and the city’s inhabitants are described as being “Brummies”. Birmingham’s accent sounds typically northern English and it can be rather difficult to understand fully what is being said a difficulty which is made worse if if you are unfamiliar with such dialects. Luckily Brummies are kind, helpful and polite and do their utmost to explain clearly so if necessary do not be afraid to approach people about help and directions or assistance with  bed and breakfast accommodation in Birmingham.

Birmingham possesses  an excellent collection of visitor attractions including some highly interesting and equally informative galleries and museums, such as the Barber Institute of Fine Arts and the new Thinktank  which is in the Eastside. The city of Birmingham also features a huge number of square miles of parks, woodland and open spaces, Sutton Park  is the largest having 970 hectares making it the largest urban nature reserve in Europe.

The city of Birmingham has a varied and vibrant night scene with an excellent number of restaurants, cafes, coffee houses, bars, wine bars and nightclubs. You will find the most popular in one of Birmingham’s squares, Victoria Square, St Martin’s Square, Rotunda Square, Chamberlain Square, the historic Old Square at Corporation Street, Centenary Square and the Gas Street Basin. Gas Street Basin is the central hub of the city’s canal system. Birmingham has roughly thirty two miles of canal waterways with between eight canals which were created in the eighteenth century and continued being used by local companies nearly until the end of the twentieth century. Today the area has been cleaned up and is now a rather nice visitor attraction.

As an alternative to bed & breakfast why not consider hiring apartments in Birmingham. If you If you are currently planning a vacation in Birmingham you will need to know that Birmingham Airport is approximately eight miles distance from the center of the city just off the A45 and near the M42 (junction 6). You will find that there is a lot of hotels and guest houses near to the airport.