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Manhattan is the heartbeat of New York City and has become synonymous with the city as a whole. The island of Manhattan itself is home to Grand Central Station, as well as a number of artistic and cultural hubs. The Island of Manhattan can be roughly separated into Downtown, Midtown and Uptown areas, each of which contain a number of first-class points of interest.

Located to the south of 14th Street, Downtown Manhattan is the location of the Financial District which runs along Wall Street, including the rebuilt World Trade Center and Battery Park, from which you can reach the Statue of Liberty by ship. A number of admired cultural areas downtown, including Greenwich Village Tribeca and Soho feature historic architecture, the latest dining and plenty of shopping. Another trendy target downtown is Manhattan, which runs along Canal Street.

The Midtown area is located between 14th Street and Central Park, and includes a well-known artistic scene. The center|core|axis|hub|heart} of arts life in the city is the Theater District which is home to Broadway, Times Square and Hell’s Kitchen, as well as the Air & Space Museum. Midtown is a accessible area for business travelers to stay as there are various New York City hotels in the district. Other admired areas consist of Gramercy Flat Iron, a hip residential section, as well as the fashion-centric Chelsea District.

Dominated by Central Park, Upper Manhattan includes the Belvedere Castle in Central Park, the Jewish Museum and numerous museums all through the Upper East and West side. As well, the district is the location of Columbia University in Morningside Heights, the old Harlem community and Washington Heights.

Every one of the Island’s unique areas maintain their own sense of history, as well as popular points of interest from first-class arts to eats. A visit to New York is not finished without a extensive tour of Manhattan’s best spots. There is an excellent reason that Manhattan has come to define the public face of New York city. Manhattan is one of the world’s foremost cultural capitals and continues to lead the way in commercial and cultural trends.

The name of Sorrento has always been linked to the syrens’ myth, whose chant. According the legends, bewitched all the sailors passing by. The little town is located 50 km from Naples, and stands on a tuff rock in the homonymous peninsula.It is nowadays one of the most famous and appreciated resort of its coastline.
In this historical and natural framework, really unique in its genre, you wiil find Palazzo Marziale, a little charming Sorrento hotel, only recently inaugurated.
The palace was built toward the beginning of the XV century as a residence for the homonymous patrician family.
Its strategical position, in the historical centre of the town, togheter with the kindness of its landlady, who will prepare for you fine cakes, warm bread and many others typical delicatessen of the place, will make your holiday unforgettable.
There are only five rooms, but they are really amazing for their brightness, refinement of style and modern comforts. Only twelve guests have the opportunity to enjoy this unique setting with wide halls furnished with taste and sobriety, the typical Sorrentine garden-terrace and finally a breathtaking hall, in a rare example of fine architecture.
For this reason the owners of this hotel in Sorrento will have the time to look after each one of the guests, and make them feel comfortable and at home.
The service is custom-made: ask whatever you wish and we will try our best to satisfy all of your requests.
The palace is also available for small receptions and meetings. The finely laid tables, the fantastic flower arrangements and the refined cuisine will surprise and satisfy your guests.

The Marziale Palace is located in the historical centre of Sorrento.

London City today is easily one of the most beloved destinations to visit in the modern world. What sightseers crave in a hotel is certainly going to be exceptionally different from what a common Londoner would in all probability deem necessary. Currently there are numerous diverse types of hotels about. Hence you would be suggested to think comprehensively with reference to what you’re searching for in a hotel. This is because it is a very individual opinion and with the variety of choices accessible to you these days it can without doubt be a tough conclusion to make. Time Out has details on a range of London’s Hotels.

Modern, traditional, funky, are you looking to be pandered to, have afternoon tea somewhere marvellous or simply have one or two nights to unwind in lavish rooms.

Some of the more conventional hotels are the oldest & grandest in London and has to be noted that they are as a whole filled with a particular sort of clientele, you are not in reality going to go here if you’re with your children or relations. The Ritz, Savoy & Claridges are merely some of these all of which have been functioning since Victorian years. They have all been reconstructed since then nonetheless still have a lot of their unique qualities & features. There are not many hotels on earth at the moment that provide this specific type of opulence, many people travel from all over the world to stay at these hotels & the personnel make sure that there stay is beyond doubt worth it.

With the City these days being a very fashionable city to visit it makes understandable sense that they have chic hotels to go together. Boutique hotels are becoming gradually more popular and give a different kind of hotel accommodation than perhaps your more customary accommodation would offer. If you are searching for some of the best then visit areas such as Knightsbridge, Notting Hill & Soho & you are likely to find exactly what you’re hoping for. Both the Soho Hotel & St Martin Lane Hotel are a few of the best in London.

As far as travel to Ottawa is concerned, you’d be hard pressed to find a more central lodging location than the Lord Elgin Hotel. It is located right at the Intersection of Elgin and Laurier Streets, just steps away from Parliament Hill, the War Memorial, the Chateau Laurier, the Government Conference Centre and the National Arts Centre. Confederation Park, one of the main locations for Winterlude, is located right across the street.

We could not have found a better spot for our Ottawa Winterlude getaway last weekend. My room on the 4th floor was very comfortable and I had a perfect view out over Elgin Street, looking at the Chateau Laurier and the War Memorial on one side, and facing Confederation Park and the Rideau Canal on the other. We literally left our car parked for the whole 2 days and were able to get everywhere we wanted on foot.
The Lord Elgin was a perfect starting point for our adventures on the Rideau Canal, and our excursions to the ByWard Market and Sparks Street. Further south on Elgin Street is another major entertainment area nestled inside an established neighbourhood with exclusive homes and condominiums.

Ann Meelker from the Lord Elgin Hotel was kind enough to give me a lay of the land and pointed out the local landmarks. She also explained to me that the National Conference Centre actually used to be a railroad station many years ago, when train tracks were routed right next to the Rideau Canal.

My big interest in this hotel was its history as it was constructed more than 60 years ago. So I did some reserach to dig into the background of this historic building.

In 1940, as the Second World War brought more and more official visitors into town, Ottawa found itself desperately short of hotel accommodation. A local entrepreneur and city alderman by the name of Chester Pickering, President of Dustbane, Modern Building Cleaning, and Michael’s Industrial Equipment, was entrusted with the job of bringing a good hotel to the City. He connected with Jack Udd, a wealthy businessman from Rochester, New York, the president of the Ford Hotel Chain.

They were looking for a suitable site for the hotel and finally found one in an abandoned lot at the corner of Elgin and Laurier. However, obtaining the land was complicated by the fact that it was owned by the federal government.

It seemed highly unlikely that this land could be obtained from the government, but through personal connections and various outright shenanigans Chester Pickering was able to get the property. Chester Pickering knew that then Prime Minister Mackenzie King longed to make Ottawa the most attractive capital in the world, so he was sure that the idea of cleaning up this run-down area would appeal to the Prime Minister.

And not only did Pickering get the land, he also got a low-cost tax assessment on it, in light of the fact that government had not been receiving any taxes on this federally owned property at all before. With all the conditions met, Jack Udd started building the hotel and Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King even laid the cornerstone. The Lord Elgin was completed in 1941 in a classical French chateau style at a cost of about C$1,500,000.
All throughout Prime Minister Mackenzie King took a strong interest in the hotel and virtually designed the pillars in front of the hotel himself. He also insisted that the hotel be built of stone, not brick. Jack Udd agreed on a compromise and used stone at both ends and in the front, but he would put brick in the back.

The hotel is named after James Bruce, 8th Earl of Elgin and 12th Earl of Kincardine (1811 to 1863) who became Governor General of Canada in 1847. He became the first Governor General to remove himself from the affairs of the legislature, which led to the essentially symbolic role that the Governor-General of Canada has today.
Ann also allowed me to have a look at some correspondence between Prime Minister Mackenzie King and the grandson of the original Lord Elgin, who donated two marble busts of his grandparents, Lord and Lady Elgin. The correspondence dates back to 1940 and talks about shipping the busts on warships during World War II from Scotland to Canada.

Ann also mentioned that during the summer a portion of the Changing of the Guards ceremony can be seen directly outside the hotel. And the starting line for the Ottawa International Marathon is located immediately in front of the Lord Elgin Hotel.
Being the nosy person that I am I wanted to get the real low-down on this property and Randy Battcock, Guest Services Manager at the Lord Elgin, agreed to take me on a tour through the property. Randy is an interesting individual himself, he hails from Newfoundland and worked for a local airline for 21 years. After running a guest house in Ottawa for 8 years he applied for the Guest Manager’s position and got the job the next day. It is obvious that Randy loves what he does.

During our tour through the building, Randy explained that the original building was H-shaped and that the back was filled in many years ago to enlarge the rooms. In some of the boardrooms on the higher levels you can still see the former street faade on the west side, now forming an inside wall.
Two 8-storey towers were added on the north and south side and they added 55 additional bedrooms, an inground pool and a restaurant. Another little known fact is that there is a 3 bedroom apartment on the 12th floor which to this day is the residence of the former manager of the hotel who spent 50 years managing the hotel and raised his children there. The apartment has the only patio in the building with a perfect view east towards the Rideau Canal.

Randy also enlightened me that of the four guest elevators, two are original and date all the way back to 1941. The fourth elevator used to be a smokestack for the furnace in the basement, but it was dismantled bit by bit to allow for the construction of an additional elevator. The building still has an original functioning mail chute where you can drop your letters from any floor and gravity will take them to the mailroom from where they will be sent out.
Although the Lord Elgin Hotel is one of the most renowned and venerable institutions in Ottawa, it has a cozy feel to it. During my stay it was hosting hundreds of people who were attending Winterlude, so you saw all these families with children dressed up in heavy winter garb walking through the hallways. I had several friendly chats with staff members, and in particular with one young bellman who was part of the Lord Elgin team in the 26th Annual Bedzz Race on Dow Lake.

The spot in front of the fireplace in the lobby was always taken by people relaxing, reading a paper, or conversing while warming up after a cold day. We noticed that the atmosphere was always relaxed and down-to-earth, never snobbish, as you might expect of a hotel of this stature. For us it was the perfect location for a weekend of exploration in Canada’s capital.

Susanne Pacher is the publisher of a website called Travel and Transitions (http://www.travelandtransitions.com). Travel and Transitions deals with unconventional travel and is chock full of advice, tips, real life travel experiences, interviews with travellers and travel experts, insights and reflections, cross-cultural issues, contests and many other features. You will also find stories about life and the transitions that we face as we go through our own personal life-long journeys.

Submit your own travel stories in our first travel story contest (http://www.travelandtransitions.com/contests.htm) and have a chance to win an amazing adventure cruise on the Amazon River.

“Life is a Journey Explore New Horizons”.
The story with photos is published at Travel Stories and Photos (http://www.travelandtransitions.com/stories_photos/ottawa_lord_elgin.htm)

Day or night, London thrives with life. A city that seems to
have never fallen asleep from the time of its first founding,
everything that one might want to experience can be found within
the city center. “When a man is tired of London, he is tired of
life; for there is in London all that life can afford.” The
writer Samuel Johnson said this in the 18th century, and it can
still be said of today’s contemporary London. Naturally, a city
that offers all that life can afford needs numerous
explorations, but with just a few days, one can experience the
rich taste of this flavorful city. To start with, every visitor
to London must dab into the city’s history, from the first days
of its founding to its dark medieval secrets to the monarchy’s
priceless crown jewels. Next on the menu is the pure pleasure of
London’s aesthetics; the city’s center is full of charming parks
and English gardens, narrow streets which unexpectedly disclose
the scents of exotic restaurants, and various shops and markets
selling from the most tasteful and chic to the most trendy and
unconventional. When night hits, it rocks. The drinks pour, the
laughs are loud, the beats pump, and the dancing is intense.
London is a thriving city, and day and night it keeps its
visitors entertained with its history from its first
foundations, its city center’s physical beauty, and its
nightlife, making it a city that never sleeps.

London’s history is so rich and so vast, that the highest to the
lowest level of history fan will be interested. While London
acknowledges its first century Roman founding, it honors
Boadicea with a statue near Parliament. Boadicea was the British
queen who raised an army and fought back the Romans to London,
where she burned the city. Those who find such violent female
figures interesting will enjoy museums like Madame Tussauds, a
very lifelike wax museum, and the London Dungeon, where the
horrors and terrors of medieval London come to life, including a
selection of Britain’s most infamous women throughout history.
The Tower of London houses the crown jewels as well as tales of
mysterious prisons for important prisoners. Fusing history and
art, the National Portrait Gallery depicts portraits of
Britain’s most famous people throughout the centuries. The
British Museum has one of the largest and best archeological
collections of worldwide artifacts, including the Rosetta stone
and Lindow Man. Fortunately, while these museums give a good
feel for London’s past, the visitor does not actually have to
deal with the battles, plagues, and fires that London has
survived.

And relishing the calm and beauty of today’s civilized London,
the visitor can peacefully enjoy London’s aesthetic city center.
A walk along Oxford Street brings out the consumer in all, while
nearby Hyde Park still manages to provide the serenity of the
countryside in a city setting. Except, of course, speaker’s
corner, where people proclaim their message for the world to
hear. Northeast of the park is Portobello Market, one of
London’s many outdoor markets, selling the best in antiques.
Between the parks and busy shopping streets are quaint streets
of times past, leading to unexpected surprises like central
London’s Covent Gardens, where flower girls still sell beautiful
bouquets. Seeing all this from a bird’s eye view gives a
comprehensive overview of what lies below, and the London eye
shows just that from the center of the center. A free option
offering a bird’s eye view is Primrose Hill, a small park in the
north of London perched on a hill, overlooking the rest of the
city. Hunger is bound to strike at some (or many) points of such
jam-packed days, and the city’s flavors will suit all tastes.
>From traditional English fare to such exotics as Indian
restaurants, which are quickly assimilating and becoming typical
London fare, any array of food can be found in between. And what
better time to plan the evening out than during mealtime, when
feet are resting and stomachs are happy!

The day is done, the eve is planned, and as night approaches,
day is just dawning for those that never sleep. A typical London
night out will start at the pub with a group of friends,
enjoying the local beers on tap and friendly conversations
speckled with bursts of laughter. Of course, if it’s a football
or rugby night, the atmosphere will be quite serious and
concentrated till the winner is known. After whetting the
whistle at the pub, many will go on to dance at one of London’s
countless dance clubs. In such an international city, dancing
will include every type of dancing, like techno, trance,
hip-hop, Latin, ethnic, and raves. After the drinks and dancing,
some late night chow down will soothe the stomach in the
countless late night or fast food restaurants lighting up
London’s night streets.

Experiencing the most of London in a few days is so enjoyable
with London’s rich history, its delightful walks through its
sophisticated and beautiful city center, and ever amazing
transformation into a nightlong party. A world-class city aged
2000 years and still growing in popularity, London has aged
better than a bottle of good wine. London never reached ‘a’
perfection - it continually recreates perfection for every
generation that shares in its life, and that is why no one can
ever forget this city.

It’s Valentine’s Day. Picture your wife or girlfriend at her desk working away, thinking of the good time she will have at the restaurant that night with you. She knows you’re not that romantic so she doesn’t expect flowers or candy, just a nice time with her lover.

Then one day you see a poster on the bulletin board at work. Printed in red and white, it depicts a singing quartet surrounded by Valentine hearts and a telephone number. You know how hard it is to surprise your girlfriend with a Valentine’s gift, but this seems a perfect way to blow her mind. She probably thinks you forgot all about Valentine’s Day and won’t be expecting anything special.

At the office his girlfriend is working away at her computer, getting through the last hour of a busy day. It’s February 14th, and still no mention of a special date from her boyfriend. Resigned to a boring evening, she hears her intercom calling her to the main lobby. Annoyed that her closing routine is being interrupted by some unknown visitor, she tries to think of who it might be. The hall seems crowded with unlikely traffic as she makes her way to the elevator. By the time she gets down to the lobby, dozens of her co-workers are jamming the area by the front desk. A path opens for her as she makes her way to the desk.

Suddenly, standing in front of her are four gentlemen dressed in tuxedos, one of them handing her a beautiful red rose and a romantic Valentine Card. Soon four part harmony fills the air, coworkers all crowding around smiling. The words of the love songs remind her of the husband’s love, her eyes suddenly starting to tear with happiness and just a little touch of embarrassment. Every girl in the place is instantly jealous that it’s not they who gets all this attention and every guy watching wishes he thought of it first. At the end of the first song, a quartet member invites her to stand in front of them for a quick Polaroid picture. The second song is even more beautiful as her co-workers gather around to give her a big hug.

Want to get in on the fun? All it takes is a phone call to your local Barbershop Chorus and about $45 to make her (or him) happy.

Retired portrait photographer. Main hobby - quartet singing.

The adult couple romantic vacation is here waiting for you, whether you’re seeking out an island-hoping adventure or you’re yearning for the isolated atoll fringed with palms where you can kick back along the waters edge, look no more…we’re revealing one of the most romantic opportunities available.

Luxury Romantic Vacations has rated the Society Islands as one of the best options for an adult couple romantic vacation. The Society Islands are those little gems located in the South Pacific, the Islands surrounding Tahiti.

Captain James Cook, in his early discoveries of these islands, simply described these islands as “Paradise”. There’s a reason for that, they are lush with tropical jungles, clear transparent turquoise waters, atolls galore with surrounding lagoons filled with the most brilliant colorful fish our planet has to offer.

We’re going to focus more explicitly on one island within the Society Islands, also known as French Polynesia. We’ve had the opportunity to spend several weeks touring about these gorgeous islands, as a result, we’re revealing the facts about the best area for you to enjoy an adult couple romantic vacation.

The romantic island we highly recommend for you to visit is Bora Bora. This island lets you enjoy yourself, in a romantic adult setting. While engaged in this tropical fun atmosphere you have the option to go nude while hanging out in the water or on one of the many spectacular beaches. You can find a nice section of secluded beach and let yourself go in this beautiful tropical setting.

In addition to the nude opportunities Bora Bora offers are the many fun and thrilling activities from snorkeling, para sailing, to simply hiking into the lush tropical jungle setting. You can literally get lost, away from it all in this tropical paradise.

Bora Bora is where the turquoise lagoons come to life to fill every imagination of your mind. You do not have much work to do on this adult couple romantic vacation.

Bora Bora, located in French Polynesia, utilizes a local currency. You can easily convert money at the exchanges in the banks or simply use your credit card.

Getting Around…
Getting around the island is fairly easy. There’s a road that nearly circumnavigates Bora Bora. The road primarily hugs the coastline so you get some impeccable views and the option to stop along the route and enjoy the romantic settings. For a little more adventure, take a bicycle. It’ll take you a good day to ride around, and you’ll not only get some good exercise but you’ll have the ability to absorb all of the surroundings, some that you’ll likely miss while in a car or a fast moving scooter. You can rent the bikes , cars or scooters on the island.

To add to your romance is the road that takes you over the island. This is beauty just waiting for you. The road is easily missed, just south of the town of Vaitape. It’s best to ask some locals where the turn-off is. You can only drive a few miles by car then the rest is by foot along a path. It’s worth the time, the beautiful vista’s display such elegance!

There’s lot’s to explore on Bora Bora, including the little motu’s. You can catch a boat ride to these little coral gems and have the seclusion you’ve long waited for on your adult couple romantic vacation. Many of the resort hotels offer free boat trips to a motu, provided you’re a paying guest at
the resort, spa or restaurant.

Just make a simple inquiry and before you know it you’ll be on the motu, a speck of coral land that surrounds an island, yielding a lagoon on the inside and
the ocean on the outer side.

Where to stay on Bora Bora?

You have many options to choose, from the resort style hotels to the smaller quaint hotels. If you want true exclusion, then stay on a motu. Here’s some of the motu hotels you can check out: Le
Meridien Bora Bora, Eden Beach, Sofitel Motu, Bora Bora Lagoon Resort, Bora Bora Pearl Beach Resort, Mai Moana Island, and Le Paradis.

How To Get To Bora Bora…
There are several flights that take you directly to Papeete, Tahiti. From Papeete you’ll transfer to a commuter aircraft and fly directly to the Motu Mute airport serving all of Bora Bora.

Craig Dahl - Senior Editor

Craig Dahl, professional travel/tour operator reveals the best place for an adult couple romantic vacation.

Check out numerous vacation options at Luxury Romantic
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