The Frangipani Langkawi Resort & Spa representing the best in Malaysia vacation, recently received a highly accredited award in the Large Hotel Category at the Virgin Holidays Responsible Tourism Awards organized by responsibletravel.com.
Launched in 2004, the awards are run in association with partners World Travel Market, The Daily Telegraph, Geographical Magazine and BBC World News Service. They are the most prominent and competitive of their kind in the world. This year a record 1,976 nominations were received from travelers around the world voting for tourism ventures that provide outstanding holidays that also benefit local people and destinations.
At a ceremony hosted at World Travel Mart (WTM) held in Docklands, London, the Awards were handed out to the recipients. The judges commented on Frangipani Langkawi Resort that: “More than 80% of Frangipani’s workforce is from the local community and 40% of its food is produced on the island. The resort also has a large environmental management program designed for progress
, extensively planting native trees and maintaining a wetland in the resort.”
Justin Francis, founder of The Responsible Tourism Awards and Managing Director, responsibletravel.com, said: “In this, the fifth year of the awards, the bar has been raised for responsible tourism yet again. What inspires me is the efforts that businesses and destinations are making in order to ensure that responsible tourism lies at the heart of their strategies and plans. Without a doubt, this is the only way for the future – responsible travel is not a passing fad or a niche travel trend for marketing purposes. It is an entire, holistic approach to tourism operations.”
The award also creates awareness amongst hotels, resorts and tourism operators that there are greener operational policies that ultimately reduce environmental impacts. Resort owner, Mr Anthony Wong, said after acknowledging the award: “The Frangipani Langkawi Resort & Spa has implemented various greening programs to streamline its daily operations and to minimize environmental impacts. Since the resort’s inception in 2006, we have set out to bring about various policies to reduce our impacts upon the environment. Some 100 initiatives are in place and listed on our website and we hope these will become a model for other resorts to follow.”
Mr Wong remarked that various systems have been introduced at the resort including reducing consumption especially wastage, effectively managing energy usage to reduce wastage, using environmentally-friendly detergents, filtering the resort’s ‘grey water’ through a wetland and working with the local authorities to reduce the amount of rubbish that goes to the island’s limited landfill.
“Everyone in the Frangipani Langkawi Resort community from the owners to management, staff and guests is encouraged to participate in our programs and we find that we have the full support of all. Being an island, Langkawi has many sensitive environmental variables that need to be carefully managed if tourism on the island is to be sustainable,” said Mr Wong.
The Frangipani Langkawi Malaysia Resort is a secluded and eco-friendly resort established along 400-metres of beautiful golden sands at Pantai Tengah, in Langkawi, a popular island resort in Malaysia. The resort is a 15-minute drive from the Langkawi International Airport and just a short walk to the island’s top restaurants, cafés, bars and shops at Pantai Tengah.
The 118-room resort offers spacious rooms, villas and suites with modern amenities. The Mentari Grill restaurant serves Asian and international cuisine, while the Coco Beach Jam bar offers spectacular views of the Langkawi sunset.
Popular among families with young children, the resort’s other facilities include two swimming pools, outdoor jacuzzi, reflexology path, meeting room, recreational activities, room service, babysitting laundry, tour desk, transport services, souvenir shop and internet facilities.
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There are many good new Devon holiday cottages available to be rented this year for your holidays. It’s an excellent area of the country to visit for a holiday, with plenty to see and do. Here are just some of the brand new holiday cottages that have recently been added in Devon.
In Membury, in the East Devon area, is the cottage called Quakers cottage. Quakers is a really pretty picturesque thatched cottage available for self catering holiday rentals. Quakers cottage can comfortably sleep up to four adults between the ensuite double bedroom and a twin room, also fitted with an ensuite bathroom. There’s a kitchen-diner and a separate lounge in Quakers, which is set in extensive grounds along with a barbeque and even a hot tub! If two couples are sharing the holiday cottage then the twin beds can alternately be linked to form a super king size double bed for one of the couples instead of the two twin beds! The owners will also happily allow you to take your pets to the cottage so they can also enjoy your holiday.
The cottage’s location is stunning and tranquil and it is a very well equipped cottage along with many period features and ensuite bathrooms. The setting of extensive grounds includes a hot tub for unwinding after long days of walking our on Dartmoor. Nearby is the well known Jurassic coast, which is a World Heritage site. There’s plenty of wildlife and history nearby to explore and local interesting market towns to visit not too far away.
Part of the same property also includes the apartments of Kingfisher and Chaffinch . These apartments are each for 2 people have a double ensuite bedroom, lounge-diner and separate fully equipped kitchen. Both have access to the extensive gardens, barbeque and hot tub.
Over in Carswell, on the South Devon Coast area, is the new addition of The Lodge, recently built in 2008. It is built to a very high standard as an Eco Lodge. It has two interlinked upstairs bedrooms, which are a kingsize double and a twin bedroom. The family bathroom, large hall and an open plan kitchen / dining room are downstairs, along with a sitting room equipped with a romantic woodburning stove and benefiting from views out right across the valley. There’s a small enclosed garden with a table and barbeque for your use.
This is an addition to the cottages already available on Carswell Farm, an organic dairy farm. The coastal path and lovely beach are only a short walk away and Dartmoor is in sight, an attraction for walkers, horse riders and cyclists. There is easy access from the cottage to local pubs and restaurants, serving excellent quality food.
These are just a quick look at some of the newest additions to the holiday cottages in Devon on the books. Whatever type of property you are interested in for your future holiday, there is certain to be a cottage for you to be found. Have a look and see which take your fancy and book online now before someone else does.
This article is one of set written following our own recent experiences when buying a holiday property in Casares Del Sol, in Spain’s Costa Del Sol. The path to holiday property purchase abroad has many routes and along our path we have picked up some knowledge.
Specifically this article briefly overviews the two types of villa purchase. My sound advice is to engage an English speaking lawyer to lead you through the purchase maze. In Spain a property lawyer is called a Notary. The law in Spain is dissimilar to elsewhere and at first will seem daunting and complex but you will soon pick up the process. It does make life much easier if you can speak to your Notary.
Very basically there are two types of holiday home purchases abroad. ‘On plan’ where you buy a resale or newly completed holiday apartment and full payment is quickly due as in a normal house purchase, and ‘Off plan’ where you buy a holiday property still to be built or which is still to be finished. Payments are in stages.
In Spain ‘On plan’ deposits are usually known as arras, deposito, fianza, and reserve. Whilst the deposit sum is negotiable expect to pay about 10 per cent of the purchase price, the balance is paid upon completion. Check as to whether your purchase contract, contracto states plainly whether the initial deposit is to be paid back in the event of non-completion. Expect there to be conditional clauses attached to a purchase contract, and are called clausulas abrogatorias.
‘Off plan’ is often the preferred alternative both for the vendor and vendee. From the point of view of both parties the deposit can very low, in some cases 3-4,000 Euros. There is typically a 30 day cooling off period after which time normally 20-30% of the purchase price has to be paid, minus the initial deposit. The vendor loves ‘off plan’ since it is easy to sell the dream.
Our friends have been privy to this poetic license occurring when buying their own specific holiday villas ‘off plan’.
Example 1: The internal floor space appeared smaller when they obtained the keys than on the original specification, no less than 7 sq meters less in fact.
Example 2: The apartment block was lower down a hill than on the original plan, and consequently closer to noise and the associated dust from road traffic.
Lastly, before you decide which type of purchase is for you do plenty of research! And once you have selected your property, sign up with a company that specialises in villa furnishings and get them to show you suitable villa furnishing packs that are within your budget.
There are certainly many good new Devon holiday cottages that have recently become available to be rented this year for your holidays. It’s an excellent area of the country to visit, with plenty to see and do. Here are just some of the new holiday cottages that have recently been added in North Devon.
Widmouth Farm Cottages are a small set of self catering holidaycottages based on a 35 acre farm on the North Devon Coast, sleeping from 2 to 6 adults in each individual cottage. Ideal for a romantic getaway for a couple, or perfect to hire a few of the cottages together for a larger group break! Nearby are the theme park of Watermouth Castle, Exmoor Zoo, Exmoor Steam Railway and the wildlife and dinosaur park. The local scenery is magnificent and the area welcomes bird watchers and painters and for the sporting holiday maker, sea fishing and golfing opportunities are near by – enough to keep all members of the family happy and entertained one way or another for a week or two!
The cottages have been converted from various barns and workers’ cottages that date back around 200 years. They are ideally situated on the owners’ 35 acres of property, with part of the well known 180 mile Tarka Trail coastal footpath running around the border of the property. This makes it an excellent opportunity for walkers and ramblers to explore Exmoor and the North Devonshire coastline.
Wren Cottage is the smallest of the cottages with just the one double bedroom and benefiting from sea views. Kingfisher Cottage, Swallow Cottage and The Round Barn are all slightly larger, each capable of sleeping up to 4 people, all having a double bedroom and a twin bedroom, although Kingfisher Cottage has a slightly bigger sleeping area as it can also have a divan to accommodate an extra person if required. Both Swallow Cottage and The Round Barn feature an open plan living room / dining room with kitchen and shower whilst Kingfisher Cottage also has a short bath with shower over.
Slightly larger than these is Pheasant Cottage, sleeping 6 adults comfotably, although not all will appreciate the bunk room! The accommodation in Pheasant Cottage comprises of a double, twin bedroom and a bunk room plus a spacious sitting room / dining room along with a warming gas coal burning stove, a bath with shower over and a kitchen with a stable door out onto the garden.
Further afield visitor attractions include The Milky Way Adventure Park, which is an all weather theme park full of rides, entertainment and live shows with lots to do for the whole family. The Museum of Dartmoor Life is set around a cobbled Victorian courtyard to tell the story of the local people of Dartmoor and how they lived off the land over 100 years ago. If you are considering renting a holiday cottage in North Devon, then Widmouth Farm Cottages could be just what you are searching for.
My partner and I had wanted to purchase a property in Spain. Speaking to some friends who were also thinking of buying a villa it was suggested we join them at a apartment exhibition in Birmingham.
To cover more ground, we parted from them agreeing to meet at lunchtime and recommend suitable stands to visit. They were late back however and a phone call revealed that they had brought an ‘off-plan’ property on the Costa Del Sol, west of Malaga, and were just finishing the necessary paperwork.
Frankly we thought them to be deranged to make such a speedy decision. However, they knew that area of Spain well. We were more cautious. However upon their recommendation we visited the same stall and hey presto we had agreed a viewing flight to Spain before you could say ‘tapas!’. I must say though that the thought of a cheap weekend in Spain was quite appealing though. A weekend trip cost £95 each.
Not long afterwards we arrived at Malaga airport and were very impressed with a warm greeting from the sales person, Virgina. We were even more impressed that she knew our names. Our very own escort was very friendly and we were whisked away from the airport in a nice BMW company car.
After looking at lots of villas and developments at both ends of our budget, we visited a development we liked at Casares Del Sol about half an hour from Gibraltar. It seemed to have everything we were expecting. It promised luxury apartments with 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a high tech kitchen, set amidst tropical gardens with 7 swimming pools. Being British we showed the ’stiff upper lip’ deciding to mull over the prospect during the course of the evening.
We did however visit some other developments with Virginia so as to be completely sure. There was no pressure placed upon us, the developments almost selling themselves. Virgina gave us plenty of help in seeing the various benefits of exactly where to purchase on a development. Consider for example things as views, noise levels, access as we get older (lift, stairs etc), proximity to pool, rental opportunity
We signed the purchase documents for Caseras and spent 4,000 Euros. The lovely Virginia treated us to a slap up meal at Casares. Casares is a lovely traditional white washed mountain village whereby our development gets its name. At this point she felt more like a new friend than a sales representative. As you can imagine we had many queries about[/apin]] what was to happen next and she was very patient [spin]answering them all.
We flew back to the UK excited with dreamy thoughts of spending many holidays in our home in the sun. Virgina kept in touch occasionally informing us to progress on the development and even sent occasional photographs of our plot.
My advice is to carefully choose which organisation you book your viewing trip with. Ask where you will stay during the visit and, of course, what is the cost. Finally ask plenty of questions, compile a list before you fly and get each question answered. And once you have decided on your property, sign up with someone that offers villa furnishings and ask them to show you options of villa furnishing packs that are within your budget.
Do you have a hobby? Is there something that you enjoy so much that is what you would rather be doing? If so, why not turn your hobby into a online business, your hobby might be your next job. There are hobbies that make money without feeling like you are doing work. If you like to write or do genealogy or make dolls, these are all money makers if you go about it in the right way, you can start an online business that doesn’t seem like work.
There are many people who would like to have the talent you have when it comes to your hobbies. But everyone has something they are better at than anything else. So your talent might not be theirs but something they do may seem impossible to you.
When you find something that is interesting to you such as genealogy, there are many others who are interested in knowing about their family history as well. It might just be they do not know how to research to find out everything they can. Or they may not have time. It takes hours sometimes to search through census records and all the histories of the different families that came from various backgrounds.
The hobbies that make money will be the ones you might not even consider. There is a call for anything you can think of that you do well. Do you like to sew? There are people who will pay large amounts of money for handmade items. If you know how to make quilts, this is another item that people actually travel to different areas of the country to buy. They are also available online since the internet has become such a popular medium for shopping.
The hobby that you have been doing for years can pay off. Are you a traveler? Do you like to visit out of the way places and see things that you do not normally see on the regular routes that most people travel? Creating a website is a great way to publish your travel experiences. This is becoming a popular way of traveling today. The same hotels and attractions that are seen every time someone goes on vacation are becoming mundane. The articles you write that let people see there are other attractions when vacationing can become quite popular. Anything out of the ordinary is one thing people like to know about.
If you are having trouble thinking of a hobby that you can turn into a business, think about all the things you have done over the years and which you enjoyed the most. You may even have a hobby that you just dont think of as a hobby. Do not start something just for the purpose of turning a hobby into a business. The hobby must be something you love to do and have experience doing.
A website is a good idea to advertise your expertise. Marketing is very important to let people know the service you perform is available. This is absolutely imperative to let people who do not know you, have an idea of the services you can provide. To get your site listed in the search engines just do a search for “Flight Search Engine Submission Service”
Almost any hobby of yours can be used to start an online business which leads to a great money making opportunity. However the most popular and lucrative ones are the ones to do with arts and crafts, these will make the best internet business
• Bike customization: If you love transforming ordinary bikes into high quality custom works of art – you can use the internet to make money in style! You can have web based workshops and even tutorials which will educate others and improve the credibility of your brand as well – since it establishes you as an authority in this field.
• Knitting: Or if you love knitting or crochet you can ‘sell’ your articles on the Internet. Especially if you undertake customized orders your business will be more successful. You could showcase innovative designs which will help in making this a more lucrative Internet money making opportunity.
• Stamp collection: If you love collecting stamps, why not showcase them online? Many stamp collectors using Internet make money that amounts to millions in a year! Why not you? You could invite others to buy and sell on your site. This way you can transform a much loved hobby into an innovative Internet money making opportunity for yourself.
• Shopping: Yes you heard this one right! If you’re addicted to shopping, you can help others by shopping for them! By providing personalized shopping for customers many personal shoppers using the Internet make money the innovative way! To do this you need to find out the person’s tastes, likes and dislikes, color preferences etc. This will help buy things for them that they like.
No matter what your hobby is, you can turn it into a powerful Internet money making opportunity. One of the first things you’re going to need to do is to set up your own store online. In this way, many people using the Internet make money by creating their store space online. They then showcase their products on their website, along with pictures and brief descriptions of each. This helps customers get a fair idea of what they’re offering. Many people using the internet make money by turning their hobbies into high revenue earners. Once you have set up your store and uploaded product information, it’s time to optimize the site for more traffic and hence customers. You can use SEO techniques to accomplish this. As sales begin to happen, you will realize that this can be a great Internet money making opportunity.
So take all your hobbies and start trying to figure out which ones you can turn into a successful internet business. If you take your time and build a professional website you will be on your way to earning an income online with your hobbies.
A trip to El Gouna in Egypt conclude with one ending – total relaxation. This is down to the fact the complete town is a man made paradise exclusively owned and developed by one organisation specialising in El Gouna breaks. Situated but just a half hour distance from the mighty popular holiday haunt of Hurghada, El Gouna is able to extend a much more personalised holiday experience.
This popular vacation spot is located along the impressive Red Sea region of Egypt which is renowned for its superb skin diving and snorkelling that brings in millions of sun worshippers each year. In addition, the area is also sought after for its beautiful beaches, clear waters and close proximity to cities such as Luxor and Cairo.
El Gouna getaways have only been purchased since the start of the 90’s, when the owners Orascom began inviting sun seekers into this incredible location. It is a real dream location with loads of top rated hotels for visitors to choose from. In addition, there are superb selections of apartments and villas and other properties in El Gouna that interact as a year round home to the many holiday home owners who make the town of El Gouna their long standing or seasonal getaways. At present there are getting on for 10,000 full-time residents in El Gouna and a great number of them are the owners of more than two thousand private homes.
Presenting luxury accommodations, El Gouna presents a selection of excellent water and dry land activities to try, including qualified support services for those learning to dive before they pursue the ocean waters of the crystal clear Red Sea next to El Gouna.
El Gouna getaways mean top quality services and this includes dining in no less than dozens of eateries, and saloons throughout the place. guests can also participate activities, including the many swimming pools, golf rounds, scuba centres, and a comprehensive array of family based sports and activities.
El Gouna getaways are also environment conscious friendly holidays due to the overall area – all 11m sq metres of it – are created to be most environmentally friendly and attentive, making it in of the most prestigious of its type in all of Egypt.
El Gouna breaks do not mean that holiday makers must forget the many wondrous and historical wonders of Egypt whilst they bask in all that El Gouna has to exhibit. Cost effective and uncomplicated to stage day trips are available to book often from the main airport and the resort very often ships their guests back ward and forward from their adventures.
Anyone loving El Gouna holidays are ensured top dollar service from the staff of this unique getaway town, which makes it the fantastic base to explore other destinations of Egyptian culture.
Villa Ioanna in Rhodes is a truly spacious 4 bedroom villa with private pool that is set in a prime location. It comfortably sleeps up to 8 adults in four bedrooms and cot and high chairs are available on request. On the first floor you will find the master bedroom with double bed, fitted wardrobes and private balcony and the second bedroom with twin beds, fitted wardrobes and access to the sun terrace. On the ground floor are the third bedroom with twin beds, fitted wardrobes and access to the patio and pool area. The fourth bedroom is also at ground floor level, with double bed and wardrobes, which is located in an annex separate to the main building of the villa. From 2009 the annex double bedroom will be en-suite with shower facilities. All bedrooms are air-conditioned for your comfort.
The light and airy kitchen in Villa Ioanna is fitted with all essential mod-cons including fridge/freezer, oven and hobs, microwave, washing machine and dishwasher (who wants to be stood at the sink to do the washing up when on a relaxing break in the sun?!). There are dining facilities for 8 people with views out to the garden and pool area and access to the patio and en-suite annex can be gained through the French doors. Naturally, all cutlery, crockery and cooking appliances are provided as are the ever useful sandwich toaster and coffee maker.
On the first floor of Ioanna is the main bathroom with toilet, wash basin, bath and shower. On the ground floor is also a shower room with toilet, wash basin and enclosed shower unit.
The stunning very private 9 x 5m pool at Villa Ioanna is accessed by steps and the depth is a shallow 1.0m in the shallow end deepening to 1.8m in the deep end. Equipped with 8 sun loungers, 4 parasols and outdoor dining facilities for 8 people. Relax in the sun with a book by your own secluded swimming pool!! Set on a 1/2 acre plot, Ioanna has large gardens to relax in and the luxury of a private 9×5m swimming pool. Light the BBQ and enjoy an evening of al-fresco dining around the swimming pool.
Air conditioned throughout the villa and furnished to the highest standards, Villa Ioanna offers comfortable living space with TV, Satellite TV, DVD Player and CD Player. With the finishing touches also applied to the ceiling (sunken spotlight features) the living area offers holiday makers a relaxed and airy feel for those times when a break from the sunshine is required to unwind. Sink into the sofa with a book and a cold drink- perfect!
Villa Ioanna is just one of the many Rhodes villas available to rent by holiday makers to the area. There’s an good choice of a wide variety of rental properties. Checkout what is suitable on the market for you right now.
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Once a upon a time, (all good stories start like that), my partner and I were on vacation sitting on a sun drenched beach. As usual our minds drifted to ideas like ‘Why can’t we do this all the time?’ ‘Why do we cram in pleasure into a 2 or 3 week each holiday a year?’ ‘How could we make money to make our dreams a reality?’ After puzzling the situation the answer was simple. Why not buy a holiday home abroad? It was likely to have lots of advantages. We could use it when we wanted too for short breaks or holidays. We could offer it to family and friends and or even go with them and spend some quality time together. We could winter in Spain. We could rent it out to help pay the expenses. The list pluses seemed endless.
Where to buy? After much talking we finally came upon Spain since it has lots of sunshine, with temperatures in the order of 7C/21c in the spring to 16C/34C in the summer, 10C/23C in the autumn and 2C/17C in the winter. It usually receives an average of 320 days of sunshine a year. It has miles of beaches, lovely food, lots of green golf courses, friendly people and the flights from the UK are reasonably cheap. Another huge benefit was perceived to be the fact that a great many of the residents speak English. A major factor was the long list of activities and facilities the area offered.
We settled finally on the Costa del Sol to purchase our property. We simply felt it was ideal for us. Spain is a vast country and if you purchase for renting out some 8 million plus tourists visit annually. The scenery is dramatic, the coastline being backed by high mountain ranges. The coast is green and lush and the area virtually had everything on our wish list
Eventually we flew to Spain, the end result being that we selected a apartment at Casares Del Sol and once set up with the required villa furnishing we have had several pleasurable trips there this year.
The journey from concept to reality took about 2 years and we opted to share the experience with others wanting to start out ona similar life changing path. If we learnt one lesson to share with others, it is that villa furnishing packs really do take the stress out of the buying process.
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