Maldives, Indian Ocean

I have 12 days of holidays coming soon to take in September. I want and need to take a vacation; I think it will be good to me because I really need to rest. I want to go far and enjoy good weather. In the first place I had thought go to Asia because I do not know yet. Malaysia and these beaches tempt me very much. Or Thailand, for beaches too, but also for the temples, landscapes ... but I found a great promo to go to Maldives Island... seems like a paradise... and I’m glad to say... It´s my next destination!!! Now i will talk a little bit more about.

The Maldives is considered by many to be the premier tropical beach destination in the world and the best place to relax and unwind from the hectic and chaotic lifestyle of the modern world. The Maldives is an archipelago nation of 1,190 islands in the Indian Ocean renowned for its natural pristine beaches and island environment.

With over 100 different island resorts to choose from each island has it’s owned distinct feel, character. The wide range of accommodation suit many budgets to cater for all. However, whichever island visit in The Maldives all of them are blessed with perfect coral beaches, lush tropical vegetation, warm shallow waters, fantastic hotel facilities and outstanding service that you would only expect to find in the world’s best tropical beach destination. There are only a few places in the world that have this combination of the unique turquoise sea and powder white sand with an all year round climate described as “a never ending summer”.

Buenos Aires, Argentina

This complex, energetic, and seductive port city, which stretches south-to-north along the Rio de la Plata, has been the gateway to Argentina for centuries. Portenos, as the multinational people of Buenos Aires are known, possess an elaborate and rich cultural identity. They value their European heritage highly--Italian and German names outnumber Spanish, and the lifestyle and architecture are Buenos Aires City Center markedly more European than any other in South America. One of the world's finest opera houses, the Teatro Colon, flourishes here on the plains alongside the river. Portenos are intensely involved in the life and culture of their city, and they will gladly share the secrets of Buenos Aires if you lend an ear and relate your own stories in return.

Buenos Aires' physical structure is a mosaic as varied and diverse as its culture. The city has no dominating monument, no natural monolith that serves as its focal point. Instead, Buenos Aires is composed of many small places, intimate details, and tiny events and interactions, each with a slightly different shade, shape, and character. Glass-sheathed skyscrapers cast their slender shadows on 19th century Victorian houses; tango bars hazed with the piquant tang of cigar smoke face dusty, treasure-filled antique shops across the way.

Tromsø , Norway

Tromso is the largest city in the Nordic countries north of the Arctic Circle. The city has the world’s northernmost University, brewery and Cathedral (Ishavskatedralen). Tromso is surrounded by beautiful Arctic scenery, with Fjords, Islands & Alpine mountain peaks and offers the exotic Arctic light.

Troms has a varied coastline. Norway's two largest islands are located here, while the fjords virtually cut into the landscape. Mountains rise wildly and inaccessibly directly from the sea into the sky and are alluring for keen mountain hikers. Rivers and streams flow down the mountain sides and continue through expansive agricultural areas. Troms' many watercourses are ideal for exciting fishing and paddling experiences.

Experience the never ending bright nights and the Midnight Sun during the summer Months and the spectacular Northern Lights in the winter Months. The blue Arctic twilight is unforgettable! Tromso is ideally located in the middle of the Northern Lights zone - considered one of the best places to see the amazing Northern Lights!

Zermatt, Switzerland

The location of Zermatt at the foot of the Matterhorn and in the middle of an enormous hiking and ski region makes it one of the world's most attractive vacation villages. The ski region encompasses 63 mountain railways and more than 300 kilometers of pistes. The region called "Matterhorn glacier paradise" is Europe's largest and highest lying summer skiing region. Numerous national ski teams train here in the summer.

The region is legendary amongst mountaineers: the Haute Route, a challenging international route that takes several days to complete, leads from Mont Blanc to Zermatt. Over 400 kilometers of hiking trails lead through and out of the Matter Valley, including the mule traders' trails, which date back to the 13th century (a part of these paths is paved).

Walking, cycling, climbing and high-Alpine tours are popular activities in summer and autumn. Every year, the four-thousand-metre summits attract many Alpinists. 400 km of walking trails also guide guests who are not overly adept at climbing through the mountainscape around Zermatt.

In winter, the snow-assured ski region offers over 300 km of pistes in three varied ski areas: the Sunnegga-Rothorn, Gornergrat-Stockhorn and Schwarzsee-Matterhorn glacier paradise. Snowboarders are able to hone their skills in the "Gravity Park" freestyle fun park in which Olympic hopefuls also train. A crossover to the Italian ski region of Breuil-Cervinia is possible from the Matterhorn glacier paradise / Theodulpass.

Fes, Morocco

Fes is the second largest city in Morocco, after Casablanca, with around 1 million inhabitants, situated in the north of Morocco. It comprises three distinct parts: Fes el Bali, the old ‘medina’ - or city, Fes Jdid, the newer medina and home of the Jewish quarter, and the ‘Ville Nouvelle’, the newest and most modern, French-created part of the city. Fes el Bali is very much an old, traditional Moroccan city, with high walls, narrow, and maze-like streets that do not allow for car traffic, or comfortable passing in many places, being less than a metre wide.

Many of the streets are covered with slatted, arched or more makeshift roofs that can give a hugely claustrophobic atmosphere, particularly when lost and it is high summer and 45° C. Fes el Bali is notable in that it was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1981; it is also known for having high religious values, prevalent during Ramadan. Around 180, 000 people live in the medina, nearly 20% of Fes’s population.

One of the most interesting sites in Fez is the Leather Souq and the oldest leather tannery in the world. The tannery dates back at least nine centuries. When approaching the tannery the smell is the first suggestion that something different is about to appear. The smell drifts around the balcony from where all the activity can be viewed and is enough to put off the most enthusiastic of tourists.

Yosemite National Park, California, USA

Yosemite National Park covers a huge area of the western Sierra Nevada mountains in central California and has innumerable lakes, meadows, forests and granite summits with endless unspoilt Alpine scenery. At the center is Yosemite Valley, a half-mile deep depression carved by glaciers during the last ice age, which now has soaring 3,000 foot high domes and many powerful waterfalls, including three of the world's highest.

Elsewhere in Yosemite National Park are vast areas of unspoilt and sometimes inaccessible scenic wilderness, as is the case with Kings Canyon and Sequoia, the other national parks in the Sierras. One of two main routes into the backcountry is the road to Glacier Point, a 16 mile drive leading to several excellent overlooks of the main valley, and many footpaths. The other is the Tioga Road (CA 120), along which is a second park visitor center at Tuolumne Meadows - a beautiful region with many small lakes, stark granite peaks, clear mountain streams, waterfalls and meadows with colorful summer wildflowers. An extensive network of trails allow for relatively easy exploration of this splendid landscape.

There are three groves of giant sequoia trees in Yosemite National Park, two near Crane Flat (the Merced and Tuolumne groves) but the most famous is the Mariposa Grove of Big Trees in the southwest corner, near the private village of Wawona. More than 400 huge sequoias grow over the sheltered hillsides; the largest is the Grizzly Giant, estimated to be nearly 3,000 years old.

Kawachi Fuji Garden, Japan

The Japanese have always been leaders in the art of landscaping, their culture steeped into the aesthetics of the many styles and designs that are so recognizable as their own. The Wisteria Tunnel located in Kitakyushu is no exception, its intricate beauty and delicate precision immediately reveals its origins to those familiar with traditional Japanese gardening.

A member of the pea family, wisteria is an ornamental vine with around 10 different species, wildly popular in both Eastern and Western gardens for its graceful hanging flowers and its ornate, winding branches. Easily trained, the woody vines reach maturity within a few years for some species, or up to 20 for others. Once maturity is reached, the reward is cascades of long, lavender raceme blooms of varying pastel shades creating a natural chandelier of color and beauty.

The Wisteria Tunnel, which is part of a breathtaking display of botanical delights that include zen gardens and a cherry blossom festival, is located at the Kawachi Fuji Gardens in Kitakyushu. Different types and colors of wisteria have been woven through a cylindrical lattice that during the blooming months of April through May, become a fantastical flower-draped tunnel during the yearly "fuji matsuri", or "Wisteria Festival".

Iceland

Iceland is a country of extreme contrasts. A place where fire and ice co-exist. Where dark winters are offset by the summer’s midnight sun. A country where insular existence has spurred a rich and vibrant culture. Where the vast, unspoiled nature lies at the doorsteps of a highly modern urban community. A place where a peaceful and progressive population lives in harmony with the often-violent forces of nature. The place where Europe meets America, in a quite literal, geological sense. Here you can learn about our unique little island in the North-Atlantic

Iceland has plenty to offer the adventurous. Whether you want to enjoy the great outdoors, or just experience daily life in the city, there are activities and opportunities to meet your needs.

Do you want to spend a day atop a glacier? That can be arranged. Would you prefer to walk, use a snowmobile, or travel in a super-jeep? It is your choice. Would you rather go whale watching? Or bird watching? Ride a bicycle? Or experience subliminal waterfalls? See what a spurting geyser really looks like? This is all within reach.

Or possibly, you are the adventurous type? The kind who needs an adrenaline rush to feel alive? Then perhaps you want to go river rafting in a challenging glacial river? Or diving in some of the unique locations around the country? Ice climbing on a vertical glacial wall? Or surf the open waves of the North Atlantic? Or perhaps you would like to go fishing? What is your preferred catch? Would you prefer lakes, streams or the open ocean? Possibly ice fishing is your thing?

Or just maybe you would rather enjoy the culture and the opportunities of the city? Visit a museum or enjoy the fresh local cuisine? Or both? Or play a little golf and then wind down the day in a relaxing geothermal pool?

Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

Shimmering from the desert haze of Nevada like a latter-day El Dorado, Las Vegas is the most dynamic, spectacular city on earth. At the start of the twentieth century, it didn't even exist; now it's home to two million people, and boasts nineteen of the world's twenty-five largest hotels, whose flamboyant, no-expense-spared casinos lure in thirty-seven million tourists each year.

Las Vegas has been stockpiling superlatives since the 1950s, but never rests on its laurels for a moment. Many first-time visitors expect the city to be kitsch, but the casino owners are far too canny to be sentimental. Yes, there are a few Elvis impersonators around, but what characterizes the city far more is its endless quest for novelty. Long before they lose their sparkle, yesterday's showpieces are blasted into rubble, to make way for ever more extravagant replacements. A few years ago, when the fashion was for fantasy, Arthurian castles and Egyptian pyramids mushroomed along the legendary Strip; next came a craze for constructing entire replica cities, like New York, Paris, Monte Carlo, and Venice; and the current trend is for high-end properties that attempt to straddle the line between screaming ostentation and "elegant" sophistication.

While the city has cleaned up its act since the early days of Mob domination, it certainly hasn't become a family destination. Neither is Vegas as cheap as it used to be. It's still possible to find good, inexpensive rooms, and the all-you-care-to-eat buffets offer great value, but the casino owners have finally discovered that high-rollers happy to lose hundreds of dollars per night don't mind paying premium prices to eat at top-quality restaurants, while the latest developments are charging room rates of more like $300 than $30 per night.

Although Las Vegas is an unmissable destination, it's one that palls for most visitors after a couple of (hectic) days. If you've come solely to gamble, there's not much to say beyond the fact that all the casinos are free, and open 24 hours per day, with acres of floor space packed with ways to lose money: million-dollar slots, video poker, blackjack, craps, roulette wheels, and much, much more.

The Phi Phi Islands, Thailand

Phi Phi island is Thailand's island-superstar. It's been in the movies. It's the topic of conversation for travelers all over Thailand. For some, it's the only reason to touchdown in Phuket. Even with all the hype, it doesn't disappoint.

Phi Phi's beauty is a large chunk of the allure. The islands, when approached by boat, rise from the sea like a fortress. Sheer cliffs tower overhead, then give way to beach-fronted jungle. It's love at first sight.

The second part of the why-we-love-this-place story is attitude: few places on the planet are this laid-back. Of the two islands, one is completely free of human inhabitants (Phi Phi Leh), and the other is without roads (Phi Phi Don). There's no schedule, no hustle-and-bustle, no reason to be in a hurry.

As an added bonus, Phi Phi is affordable. Destinations this beautiful are often reserved for those that can pay dearly. That's not the case here; Phi Phi has something for every budget. You might be surprised – that perfect beachfront room costs less than you expect.