Culture & Heritage in Miami

GREATER Miami’s world-class museums are a tribute to its rich culture and heritage. From modern marvels to timeless treasures, science, art and more, Miami has got it covered. Unleash your inner culture vulture and discover it all during Miami Museum Month. 

From May 1-31 many participating museums and hotels will be offering special discounts and tailor-made itineraries showcasing Miami’s vibrant art scene.

For more information www.miamiandbeaches.com/special-offers/monthly-deals/miami-museum-month

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Luxury lodges lead the self-catering revival

OUTDOOR holiday specialist, Pitchup.com, reveals that lodge-style holiday homes have leapt to pole position as Brits’ favourite UK and overseas self-catering accommodation this year, with bookings up 139 per cent*, a 70% increase year on year. Growth in demand for glamping accommodation options, such as yurts, is up 13 per cent compared with 89 per cent last year.

“This summer is all about lodges,” says Pitchup.com founder, Dan Yates. “We’ve seen a huge growth in lodge bookings for 2017 as they outsell all other types of glamping accommodation in the UK by 38 per cent.”

“Families in particular are rediscovering this more traditional style of accommodation, which is enjoying a resurgence as people look for relatively inexpensive accommodation, following the Brexit vote, that is weatherproof and offers all of the comforts of home and more.”

He continued: “Cabins, a more basic form of lodge-style accommodation, have also performed well, up 135 per cent year on year as budget-conscious holidaymakers search for affordable accommodation options.”

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Up in the air . . .

UK authorities last week issued new rules that ban passengers on flights from Queen Alia International Airport and other airports in the region departing to London from carrying laptops and tablets in the aircraft cabin, in addition to the phones that are larger than, Length: 16.0cm, Width: 9.3cm, Depth: 1.5cm. These devices can be placed in the checked baggage. 

The decision of the UK authorities included the flights from Amman’s Queen Alia International Airport and flights departing to the UK from Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Tunisia and Lebanon. The ban excludes the flights departing from the UK to Jordan and the mentioned countries.

This followed on from the the US authorities who issued new rules that ban passengers on flights to the US from carrying electronic and electrical devices in the aircraft cabin, but have them in their checked baggage.

The decision of the US authorities included the flights from Amman’s Queen Alia International Airport to the US, besides the departing flights from nine other airports in the Middle East, the Arab Gulf and North Africa.

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Musical Milan

KNOWN as the Temple of Opera, La Scala one of the leading opera and ballet theatres in the world there are seasonal choral and orchestral events held throughout the year. Designed by Giuseppe Piermarini and inaugurated in 1778, Teatro alla Scala was recently totally refurbished under the supervision of the renowned architect, Mario Botta.

Adjacent to La Scala, the former Ricordi Casino hosts the Museo Teatrale alla Scala which was founded in 1913. You can explore a rich collection of musical instruments, documents, memorabilia related to the opera and the theatre, as well as a gallery of portraits and busts dedicated to several of the great artists who performed there. Unless a rehearsal or show is in progress, visitors can admire the auditorium from a box and actually watch the set-moving machinery in action.

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Picture Credit: pintrest.com

Accessible Beaches in Cyprus

#CYPRUS has over 40 beaches that are accessible to those with special needs, 11 of which are fully #accessible with 29 partially accessible.

The 11 fully accessible #beaches means the wheelchair user is able to get from the beach into the sea moving on a wooden or plastic ramp. There are also fully accessible facilities and parking places for disabled people. 

Also worth mentioning is the fact that on six of these beaches there is an innovative system (Seatrac) that enables disabled people to have a full access into the sea. It is an automatic system powered by photovoltaic energy, consisting of a seat fixed in a rail that drives the disabled person into the sea at an approximate depth of 60cm. Seatracs are available for use free of charge.

Fully accessible beaches:

Agia Napa: Lanta, Vathia Gonia (Seatrac)

Paralimni: Protaras (Fig Tree Beach), Vrysi C΄ (Seatrac)

Larnaka: Foinikoudes

Lemesos: Akti Olympion A΄ (Seatrac)

Parekklisia: Municipal Beach

Germasogeia : Dasoudi (CTO)

Pafos: Vrysoudia Α (Sodap) (Seatrac)

Polis Chrysochous: Municipal Beach (Seatrac), Dasoudi (camping site) (Seatrac)

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Picture Credit: You Tube

Channel Islands Heritage Festival

TAKING place between April 8 to May 10, this years festival will focus on the Islands' heroes, myths and legends.

Exclusively for this year, explore the Creux Mahie Cave – a privately owned cave that has been granted special access for accompanied coasteering and walking tours. Believed to be the largest cave in the Channel Islands, measuring over 200 feet in length and its height varying from only 5 feet up to 50 feet, it is the subject of much folklore.

www.visitguernsey.com/event/2017-channel-islands-heritage-festival

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Picture Credit: britishairways_21686873976940

Light up the sky in Malta

THE 16th Malta International Fireworks Festival is organised by the Ministry for Tourism and the #Malta Tourism Authority. 

This years annual event takes place between Saturday April 22 and Sunday April 30 in three different locations around the Maltese Islands, namely Xagħra (Gozo), Marsaxlokk and the grand finale in Valletta's Grand Harbour.

The festival includes #fireworks displays designed by foreign pyrotechnic companies as well as some of the best local fireworks factories. The displays can be enjoyed by all free of charge. 

www.maltafireworksfestival.com

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Pandora - The World of Avatar

THE largest addition in the history of Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Pandora – The World of Avatar at opens May 27 at Walt Disney World Resort. The all-new land will immerse guests in a mystical world of massive floating mountains, bioluminescent rainforests and breathtaking new experiences.

Based on Oscar-winning filmmaker James Cameron’s record-breaking box-office hit, AVATAR, the new land welcomes guests to the lush world of Pandora long after the human conflict with the native Na’vi inhabitants has ended. The dramatic daytime beauty of the land transforms to glow by night when bioluminescent flora and intricate nighttime experiences add a dreamlike quality to Pandora.

Guests to Disney’s Animal Kingdom cross the park’s Discovery River into Pandora – The World of Avatar and continue along a winding rainforest path for their first glimpse of the land’s iconic floating mountains.

“When guests come across the bridge, they are transferred light-years away, to the Alpha-Centauri solar system and Pandora,” says Jon Landau, AVATAR producer, Lightstorm Entertainment. “It’s an otherworldly, fully-themed experience.”

As guests explore the verdant terrain sprawling beneath mountains that appear to float in the sky, they see waterfalls cascading down the mountainside into meandering streams and pools, and they discover two thrilling new expeditions: Avatar Flight of Passage and Na’vi River Journey.

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Relax in the Dominican Republic

RELAX in Punta Cana, #DominicanRepublic at the four star Tropical Princess on the beachfront of the popular Playa Bavaro in the province of Altagracia and a 20-minute walk from the lively Plaza Bavaro, this quality all-inclusive resort offers something for everyone.  

Enjoy a range of activities including beach volleyball, windsurfing, sailing, mini-golf and tennis. Dining amenities include three bars and five restaurants serving a variation of traditional island cuisine and international dishes.

Available for departure on selected dates between 9 May - 5 June 2017 via Cheapflights.co.uk, seven nights in luxury four-star all-inclusive accommodation and return flights with British Airways from London Gatwick. Based on two adults sharing.

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Travel Concerns in Post-Brexit Europe

AN exclusive poll by global flight and #travel deals website, Cheapflights.co.uk, ahead of tomorrow’s (29 March) triggering of Article 50, reveals that nearly 80 per cent of Brits are concerned about holidaying in a post-#Brexit #Europe. 

Fears over rocketing prices, increased bureaucracy and a less than friendly reception top the list of worries, with many UK travellers planning to take their future holidays in the US, Caribbean, Thailand, Australia, New Zealand or on home soil instead.

Cheapflights’ poll, conducted among 2,000 Brits, shows that nearly half (49 per cent) cited the potential impact on the strength of the Pound and less value in their holiday wallets as their primary worry, followed by concerns around losing guaranteed local health care via the European Health Insurance Card (36 per cent); rumours of visas to visit EU destinations (35 per cent); and higher airfares (33 per cent). Nearly a third (31 per cent) highlighted a concern that EU residents might be less welcoming to British tourists, and others (20 per cent) noted fears around the return of the punitive mobile-phone charges phased out in recent years.

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