Wanted: lively city break . . . look no further than Philadelphia

HEAD to #Philadelphia this June if you're looking for a lively time with an entire week devoted to beer and local breweries during Philly Beer Week, to the Odunde Festival, the biggest African-American street fete in the U.S., to the week-long WAWA Welcome America! Festival.

Celebrate Philadelphia as America’s Best Beer-Drinking City with a ten-day festival beginning the Friday following Memorial Day June 1st - with its dramatic opening of a keg with a ceremonial sledgehammer. Now in its 10th year Philly Beer Week invites beer lovers to try special dinners and tastings, go on tours of Philadelphia’s best pubs and breweries, watch home-brewing technique demos, dance in a hoedown and more.

The ODUNDE festival June 11, attracts up to 500,000 attendees, covers 12-city blocks and has over 100 arts & craft/ food vendors and two stages of live entertainment. The festival is the largest African-American street festival in
the country and is known throughout the world as one of the original models for African-American festivals, hosting many internationally known African and Caribbean performers, dignitaries, folk artists and cultural leaders.

This year celebrates the 25th anniversary of the WAWA programme, which will once again include an extensive calendar of free and fun events, all coming to an unforgettable close with firework displays on 4 July 2017. Running from June 29 to July 4 celebrating America's birthday 

www.welcomeamerica.com/calendar-of-events

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Up, up and away

EXPERIENCE the quiet calm of Australia's Northern Territory from a hot air balloon with Outback Ballooning in Alice Springs.

With a choice of either a half hour or hour scenic balloon flight as the dawn breaks over the MacDonnell Ranges starting with pre-dawn pick up, then watch the crew start to inflate your balloon as you watch the sun rise.

The scenic hot air balloon flight is a great way to see the spectacular Australian Outback, drifting over the rugged landscape and you will most likely see red kangaroos in their natural habitat.

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Picture Credit: Outback Ballooning

Fifth Avenue not just for shopping

EACH year on #Easter, falling on Sunday, April 16 this year, celebrants don festive attire and show off their very best bonnets along Fifth Avenue at the Easter Parade and Easter Bonnet Festival. 

Immortalized by Irving Berlin (with some help from Judy Garland and Fred Astaire), the pageant is a #NewYork City tradition that stretches back to the 1870s. 

Starting at 10am and continuing until 4pm, the #parade marches north on Fifth Avenue, from 49th Street to 57th Street. The best place to watch is from the area around St. Patrick's Cathedral; better yet, bring your bonnet and join the parade.

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Croatia in May

RED sunsets are a feature of Crvenka Luka (Red Port) resort on Croatia’s Dalmatian coast. A £40 million hotel upgrade makes this a top holiday spot with three beaches (one sandy) and possibly the best infinity pool over the Adriatic in #Croatia. There’s also tennis, aqua aerobics, bikes, canoes and a rather funky beach bar.

Dubrovnik is on most peoples’ hit list but the UNESCO listed fabulous walled city can sometimes feel a touch crowded. So stay at the luxurious 5 star Hotel Admiral Grand in the picturesque town of Slano, around 45 minutes away and visit for the day. The hotel stands on a delightful beach and features an excellent spa, pedaloes, kayaks and three tennis courts. The city is easily reached by bus and day boat trips to the islands including Jakljan which locals call the "desert island".

Stay at the stylish Hotel Nautica in the charming medieval fishing town of Novigrad on the Istrian Riviera this half term. Set on the waterfront at the marina it’s ideally situated for enjoying the restaurants, bars and Neo Gothic buildings the town has to offer. A lovely pebble beach is also just a short walk away.

Prestige Holidays has huge savings on these and many other holidays but they must be booked by April 28th - www.prestigeholidays.co.uk/croatia

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The AA has been awarded a contract to run the VisitEngland Quality Assessment Schemes

VisitEngland has announced that the AA has been awarded a contract to run the VisitEngland Quality Assessment Schemes under licence for the next three years.

The AA has more than 100 years’ experience inspecting and rating hotels and guest accommodation across the UK and follows the same common standards used by VisitEngland and the national tourist boards in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

The VisitEngland Quality Assessment Schemes will remain separate to the AA’s existing assessment schemes and participants will continue to be able to choose between the VisitEngland and AA accommodation schemes. All current ratings, logos, marques and accolades remain unchanged and there will be no discernible change for participants.

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TripAdvisor rates five Thai destinations as Best in Asia for 2017

FIVE of Asia’s most loved destinations of 2017 are in #Thailand, according to a poll of the top 25 taken by the popular international travel website TripAdvisor, which has recently released its Travellers’ Choice listings for the year.

The southern resort islands of Phuket, Ko Samui and Ko Tao and the cities of Bangkok and Chiang Mai were all named in the Top 25 of the Best #Destinations in Asia for 2017. Phuket took 3rd place with Samui and Ko Tao coming in the 7th and 15th place, respectively. Ever-popular Bangkok was 8th on the list and Chiang Mai came 12th.

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Waldorf Astoria to Open in 2020/2021

WALDORF Astoria San Francisco, which will be the centerpiece of a two million square-foot, mixed-used complex that will feature luxury entertainment, retail and office space.

Destined to become the preferred hotel for global luxury travelers, Waldorf Astoria #SanFrancisco will reside within the first 21 stories of a signature tower designed by the architecture firm Foster + Partners. Located at Mission Street between Ecker and 1st Streets, Waldorf Astoria San Francisco will be ideally situated in the city's exciting new Transbay Neighborhood, in the center of a vast redevelopment project surrounding the Transbay Transit Center.

Bordered by Market Street on the north, Embarcadero on the east, Folsom Street on the south, and Hawthorne Street to the west, the Transbay Neighborhood is an inspirational environment onto itself. Transportation friendly with wide sidewalks and bike paths, the neighborhood has a vibrant mix of shops and restaurants, as well as contemporary green spaces which have been carefully planned as key components of area.

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