Hotel reviews

The time spent anticipating a holiday often seems immeasurable next to the seemingly short time it takes to actually experience the holiday. Before you know it, your getaway is over, you’re on your way back to your day-to-day routines, and you’re not quite sure when you’ll be able to take your next getaway. No one wants a holiday to end; but seeing as how they can’t last forever, there is a way to ensure that you make the absolute most of your current - and future - travels.

If each of your trips worked towards earning you another holiday, you’d undoubtedly travel - and relax - a bit more. That’s precisely why travel reward schemes have gained such immense popularity over the years. People love to travel; and when their travels further their chances of getting away, they simply can’t lose. And aside from heightening holiday opportunities, reward schemes offer members a host of exclusive services, amenities, privileges and tailored benefits which only work to make their holiday experiences more remarkable.

The two most widespread travel reward schemes involve flight and hotel programmes; and while such programmes were initially based on partnerships between credit card companies and either hotels or airlines, you’ll nowadays find that many hotels and airlines operate their very own reward schemes. When you book your stay with a participating hotel on a recurring basis, you’ll earn ‘points’ for another visit with them at the destination of your choice. Similarly, if you fly on a regular basis with a reward-scheme airline, you’ll earn miles towards a flight to any destination.

There are even a number of multi-reward programmes which combine various aspects of travel, such as flights, hotels and car rentals under a single reward scheme. What’s more, membership is often free - so all you have to do to earn points is to travel - and enjoy your trip - as you normally would. You’ll earn a wealth of rewards in no time, which means another terrific holiday is on the horizon; and rest assured that the process of claiming points or rewards is always simple.

It’s often suggested that people who don’t travel in abundance choose and stick to a single reward programme. With all of their travel ‘points’ and credits going towards a single scheme, they’ll be able to claim their reward much sooner than if their points are scattered among various programmes.

But that being said, there are a number of great reward schemes to choose from - and if there’s one way to make the most of your travels, it’s to ensure that each trip works towards earning you another fantastic holiday.

Michael is a keen writer living in Edinburgh. Michael’s Website: Taxis Belfast

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Athens is a melting pot of traditional cuisine, accompanied by traditional music, and the urge to feed the tourist’s stomach. Because Greek cuisine is popular, but at the same time one of many, one can find restaurants to everyone’s taste. So if you decide not to eat a traditional dish (such as Souvlaki, Keftedes or Kalamaraki) at a Taverna, make sure you go to an authentic Ouzeria Greek cafe after your dinner, not in the least to drink away your garlic taste.
One tiny detail that might be of interest, Greeks generally do not eat breakfast. Therefore, it is up to you to be inventive. Go to a shop and buy some bread or take my advice and start eating the delicious Greek snacks (Kebabs and Koulouria for example) as early as possible.
Herei s a recipe for Greek salad:

3-4 tomatoes

2 medium-sized cucumbers

1 sliced onion

1 lettuce (cut)

1 green sliced pepper

200 grams (7 oz) Feta cheese
3-4 tablespoons olive oil

2-3 table spoons vinegar

150 grams (5 oz) black olives
2 tablespoons caper (optional)

Oregano
Salt & Pepper

First wash all the vegetables very well. Slice the tomatoes in thin quarters. Peel and slice thinly the cucumbers
Add the cucumbers, the lettuce, the oregano, the black olives, the onion, the green pepper and the caper (optional). Dress the salad with the olive oil, vinegar and salt and mix them. Add the Feta cheese broken into small pieces

The above recipe is for 5-6 servings.

http://www.greek-athens-greece.com/index.html

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Areas of Europe popular with holiday home buyers could see property prices fall by ten per cent or more in the year ahead, according to overseas property specialists Tribune Properties.

2005 saw the first signs of a property slow down, and even the reverse of sharp gains in holiday home prices over recent years in Spain and Portugal.

With owners unable to sell their property likely to drop their asking prices in 2006 to secure a sale, buyers will be in their strongest negotiating position since the mid to late 1980’s when prices dropped by nearly a third on the Spanish Costas.

Europe’s worst drought in living memory had an affect on the markets in Spain and Portugal earlier this year, with many would be buyers wondering if they would be able to use their pool in years to come, with consequential rentals possibly tailing off.

‘Some buyers rely on renting their holiday home out as they take out a mortgage to buy’, says Roger Munns of Tribune Properties, ‘and if they can’t rely on this it creates doubt as to whether to buy or not. Some buyers were taking the view that they should wait to see what happens’.

But it isn’t just the possibility of more droughts and unreliable rental income that is beginning to see prices drop in some areas, according to Tribune Properties.

The emergence of new European markets in the former Eastern Bloc has seen British, Dutch, Belgian and German buyers head for countries like Bulgaria where apartments and houses can be bought at a fraction of the price of Spain and Portugal.

‘Second home buyers are seeing properties offered in Bulgaria at less than half the price they thought they would need to own a home overseas, and the traditional markets of Spain and Portugal are losing out.

Already we have seen villas in Menorca drop in value by around ten per cent, and they could, and probably will, go lower still.

In addition the rate of new builds on the Costa del Sol and Costa Blanca hasn’t slowed down to any great degree, and before long there could be a price correction as there is going to be quite an oversupply in the market.’

European Tax Havens

In contrast to lower prices on the Spanish Costas and Menorca, Tribune forecast that prices on the Algarve and Malta are likely to stay steady or increase as their domestic markets are strong.

The two countries they see in Europe with growth potential for 2006 are the tax havens of Andorra and Monaco.

Monaco and lesser known Andorra both offer no income tax for residents, and Andorra has seen double digit property price inflation for the last two years, with the 2005 figures likely to match. After a slow start to the year Monaco has seen strong buying in the last quarter.

With the new government in Germany increasing the top rate of income tax, Tribune forecast demand continuing through to 2006.

‘Andorra and Monaco are small countries with little room to build new property’, says Tribune’s Managing Director Roger Munns, ‘Despite the German economy being slow for the last few years it remains a very important market. The raising of the top level of tax will mean more Germans seeking residency in a country with low tax levels. Andorra and Monaco are the two most likely candidates for them to buy in and take residency’.

Tribune’s advice to potential overseas property buyers is to find out how long a property has been on the market for, and to make provisional offers of between five and ten per cent off the asking price on a shortlist of three or four properties as one owner is likely to accept. Their longstanding advice is to always employ an independent lawyer to handle any sale and deposits.

Tribune Properties produce a guide for Monaco and Monte Carlo, including the weather, a Monaco map, hotels and the Grand Prix at http://www.yourmonaco.com

For Malta hotels, holidays, self catering holiday villas and apartments, a map of Malta, flights, the weather, car hire and details of Malta’s main towns of Valletta, St Julian’s, Sliema, Mellieha, St Paul’s Bay, Qawra and Bugibba visit
http://www.yourmalta.com

For property for sale in Menorca visit http://www.menorcaproperty.info

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