Best hotel in Italy

Italy is an extremely distinguishable area and one of favorite for travelers. Rome, Florence, Naples, and Venice entirely offer an ongoing array of pleasure trips. Italy is one of the most luxuriant and most lovely European countries and has a vast shore line on the sea, with the Adriatic Sea on the east, Ionian and Mediterranean Sea on the west and it is all enclosed by Alps Mountain in the north.

The culture and history of Italy draws people from across the whole world closer to Italy and in fact it is the most fashionable tourist location in Europe. There is more art and architecture to go through in Italy than someone could conceivably go through in a life-time.

The tourism deal is blooming in Northern Italy on the Italian Riviera, in the Alps (including the Dolomites), on the shores of its beautiful lakes (Lago Maggiore, Lake Como, and Lake Garda), and in Venice. In the south the Amalfi coast is the most traveled to.

Italy is one of the top tourist spots in the world. The claim for stop in Italy is constantly growing and has a good scope for hotel offers in the country. Tourism is one of the corner stones of Italian economy.

Every destination and leading city in Italy has more than a couple of extraordinary hotels that will mesmerize the visitor. Many italian hotels are near restaurants or have a inbuilt restaurant for convenience. Some are known for their splendid innovations (both architecture and decor) as well as the landscapes where they are located.

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There are some fabulous hotels along with detailed guestl descriptions about their special attributes to assist the traveler who’s looking for something beyond ordinary. If you are preparing for an Italy holiday, best hotels Italy can help you find best hotels in Italy. This website offers plenty of info on Italy hotels, Rome Italy hotels, Florence Italy hotels, Venice Italy hotels and Italy hotel reservation. It also has information on holidays in Italy and budget hotels Italy.

Flavio Briatore's wife Elisabetta Gregoraci shows off her stunning figure in yet ANOTHER bikini

By Mail Online Repo

Bikini body: Elisabetta Gregoraci, wife of Flavio Briatore, shows off her stunning figure while on holiday with son Falco Nathan


She gave birth just five months ago, and Elisabetta Gregoraci is clearly proud of having regained her pre-pregnancy figure so quickly.

The Italian model, who is married to Formula One boss Flavio Briatore, showed off her incredible figure in yet another bikini as she cuddled son Falco Nathan on the beach.

Elisabetta, 30, donned a sequinned bandeau top and khaki bikini bottoms, as well as a pair of huge sunglasses, and waved to onlookers as she posed on the beach


Tanned and toned: It's hard to believe Elisabetta gave birth just five months ago


The Wonderbra model has spent most of the summer holidaying with her husband, but Briatore appears to have given this trip a miss ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix this weekend.


Before giving birth, Elisabetta dismissed reports the couple were going to call their son Falcon.

She said: 'Absolutely not. I have no idea who put that idea into Flavio's head. I am going to go for a more traditional name, that's how I am. I wouldn't mind Flavio junior. That way we wouldn't have to change the initials on the clothes.


Model behaviour: Elisabetta's khaki green two-piece showed off her tan


'The baby will be born in London because that's where we live. Then we will go to Germany where I will have some stem cells preserved from the umbilical cord in case of any health problems.'

However, the pair seem to have come to a compromise with the name, and decided in the end to call the tot Falco Nathan.

After previously dating Naomi Campbell, Adriana Volpe and Heidi Klum, Flavio seems to have changed his womanising ways and settled down with his young wife and son.



Doting: Elisabetta kept a tight hold on Falco, who was protected from the sun in a red hat

But despite revelling in his new role of fatherhood, the traditionalist insists he won't be changing Falco's nappies any time soon.


source: dailymail

Priceless Cyprus: Laid-back leisure in pretty Pomos and a life of luxury in perky Paphos

Mighty Aphrodite: Cyprus's west coast offers some wonderful stretches of shoreline


To announce, in polite company, that you are planning a holiday in the Eurozone is still the equivalent of those old H M Bateman cartoons.

You know the ones: the appalled look of scorn towards 'The man who forgot his Top Hat for the Royal Enclosure' or 'The dandelion that sprung up on Centre Court'.

Holiday in the Eurozone? Heavens, man! Do you want to be branded a banker?

Haven't you heard that Croatia is this year's Cote d'Azur, or that Istanbul is the new Rome - both places where the (non-euro) currency will afford you a glass of wine and a salad without causing a cardiac arrest when the bill comes?

So is it possible to find anywhere in the Eurozone with guaranteed good weather and a decent range of attractions, but which won't break the bank?

Yes, it is - and it's Cyprus.

Here's the case for the island... It's only a little over four hours from London; from June to early October it basks in almost constant (and occasionally oppressive) heat; it has plenty of variety, from remote mountain villages barely touched by tourism, to the neon-lit nightlife of towns such as Ayia Napa and Paphos for those with teenagers in tow.

As for affordability, yes, Greek Cyprus adopted the euro two years ago (unlike Northern Cyprus, which remains under Turkish control).

But thanks to the country's historic links with Britain, local hotels and businesses rely a good deal on our custom and thus have a vested interest in keeping prices competitive. Search around the internet a little and you will find many of them discounting heavily.

So, what to look out for? With my wife and 11-year-old daughter keen on hotel swimming pools and retail recreation, but my eight-year-old son and I preferring to avoid the hordes, we opted for a compromise that would help keep prices down: ten days in a self-catering villa, with a couple of nights of luxury at one of the island's premier beach hotels. A hired jeep would be our inexpensive packhorse for excursions


Family fortunes: The Andreae brood enjoyed their stay at a villa in Pomos


The region we settled on was the Western-most part of Cyprus, which boasts some of its most spectacular scenery, in the ruggedly beautiful Akamas peninsular, as well as one of its main tourist resorts, Paphos.

Having avoided the bigger operators (and their sizeable markups), we booked a villa through a UK online agency called Getaway Villas, which specialises in renting out properties owned by Cypriot families, and offers far more variety than the ubiquitous boxy developments that have sprung up along so much of the coast.

Ours was a stylish second home, clinging to a cliff edge just outside the small fishing village of Pomos, owned by a local family.

In front of the villa, the Med sparkled its turquoise best, while behind it, the foothills of the Troodos mountains rose up through garlands of citrus groves to craggy peaks where buzzards circled lazily in the afternoon zephyrs.

Here, the days fell into an easy routine of mornings spent idling on the shaded terrace or by the pool (the girls) or hunting lizards, collecting jewel-like pebbles from the beach and scrumping lemons from neighbours to accompany home-made pancakes (the boys).

Lunch? Perhaps some pork souvlaki, marinated with red wine and coriander seeds and cooked in the traditional whitewashed brick barbecue built into the garden wall.

Or perhaps a trip to one of the nearby tavernas, where a meze for two easily fed our party of four for around £12 a head, fuelling an afternoon hike along one of the numerous nearby mountain trails.

Our favourite find was the Phiti Tavern in a small mountain village perched high above the town of Polis, where the owner's Sunday lunch is legendary among locals and expats alike. Course after course of dips, salads and grilled meats was followed by the best roast pork I have ever eaten, slow-cooked for seven hours with olive oil and local herbs until the meat fell from the bone in succulent chunks at the first prod of a fork.


Picturesque: Paphos Harbour is still home to a medieval fort redolent of Cyprus's past


Phiti is also a microcosm of the immense change that Cyprus has undergone in the past generation. In 1960, it had a population of 340, mainly working on the land.

Today, it has fallen to just 97 as the younger inhabitants have flocked to the coast or cities in search of a more metropolitan lifestyle and, of course, employment.

In that sense, Cyprus is divided not just along the military border that separates Greek territory from Turkish but equally profoundly along the economic line that divides the 21st-century coastal towns from the mountain heartlands, which remain rooted in traditions stretching back many hundreds of years.

A few entrepreneurs have attempted to broach this gulf, by tempting tourists away from the beaches towards a taste of Old Cyprus, for example, through the excellent agritourism scheme which offers a variety of rental accommodation in traditional village homes and guest houses at very affordable rates.

We signed up instead for a day trip 'donkey safari', travelling on a 1950s Bedford boneshaker school bus up to the village of Kelokedara (average age 55), where we clambered aboard traditional Cypriot donkeys for an ungainly lollop along the dry river bed towards the hauntingly remote 16th-century Sindi monastery.

In ancient times, these local beasts of burden were so prized for toil and transport on the steep-sloped village farmlands that there is an Arab saying that 'a Cypriot donkey is worth more than a rich man's house'.

Me? I'd settle for the rich man's house. Which, as it happens, is where we were heading next.

Though there's no shortage of resort hotels around Paphos, the three most opulent - the Annabelle, Almyra and Anassa - are owned by and managed by one of the island's wealthiest families, the Michaelides clan.

The Annabelle offers old-school glamour on the Paphos harbour front; but it was its more stylish younger neighbour, the Almyra, that we plumped for.


Chic: Paphos has a trio of celebrated luxury hotels - including the Anassa


Described as Cyprus's first 'design hotel', it combines an art-deco exterior (actually a cleverly-revamped 1970s monstrosity), with chic, minimalist interiors by Joelle Pleot, whose previous projects include Karl Lagerfeld's home.

Though there's only a smallish beach, the hotel takes full advantage of its setting by the water's edge, with plenty of al-fresco dining options, not to mention a fabulous slate-lined outdoor pool with 'chill-out' terraces offering canopied daybeds to lie back on, and let the sea breeze soothe your soul.

Those with deeper pockets should opt for the Kyma suites, set in their own gardens, which have private rooftop terraces overlooking the sea, where dinner or drinks can be served as you recline in style. (Oh, all right, my mob were far more hooked by the giant TVs that rose out of the bedroom furniture, like Aphrodite from the ocean, at the touch of a button.)

A short trip up the coast took us for lunch at the third of the Michaelides' golden Trinity, the Anassa - it means 'Queen' - now firmly established as one of the Med's most glamorous getaways.

Here, we tucked into perfectly grilled octopus while trying to guess who, other than Goldman Sachs bonus-boys, could afford to spend upwards of £2,000 a night for the Presidential Suite we'd blagged a tour of, if you please. Gulp.

Yet impressive though it was, it's not our little glimpse of luxury we remember most fondly about our visit, but the lovely scenery, the gentle pace of life and the unerringly friendly welcome.

As befitting an island steeped in the mythology of the Greek gods, Cyprus is divine - even for those on mere mortal budgets.

Travel Facts
Rooms at the Almyra start at £190 B&B (00 357 26 888 700, www.thanoshotels.com).

Getaway Villas have villas from £499 and from £1,133 in peak season (0113 217 9251, www.getaway-villas.com). easyJet flies from London to Paphos from £77 return (0905 821 0905, www.easyJet.com).


source :dailymail

Following Julia Roberts to Eat, Pray, Love on the enchanting island of Bali

By Flora Stubbs

Enchanting: The volcanic peak of Gunnung Anung near Ubud


The story will be familiar to millions of people - well, millions of women at least: a thirtysomething, burnt-out singleton depressed by a harrowing divorce sets off around the world in pursuit of a sensual and spiritual awakening.

She travels to Italy, India and eventually Bali, picking up along the way a new sense of self-worth, a sexy Brazilian lover and - bingo! - happiness knocks on her door.

Eeat, Pray, Love, U.S. writer Elizabeth Gilbert's juggernaut of a bestseller, is inescapable. More than six million copies have been sold. And it is set to become even more ubiquitous next month when a film version starring Julia Roberts is released.

Like so many of Gilbert's readers, I identified with the frustrations that prompted her to set off into the unknown. I, too, wanted to escape, to explore, to ride a bicycle through paddy fields at dusk. The difference? Liz Gilbert had a year to do it; I had two weeks.

Eventually, I settled on Bali, the setting for the last and sunniest of eat, Pray, Love's three episodes. I thought this the best place to attain the blissed- out, Zen-like state I'd read about and envied in the book.

Beloved by generations of visitors for its close impersonation of Paradise, Bali also has the advantage of being highly accessible to tourists and of a manageable, fortnight-friendly size.

But without the time personally to track down a retreat, a healer and a spiritual guide, as Gilbert did, I was in need of some help.

I hoped to combine a detox of body and mind with a pleasurable holiday. This was, in Gilbert's words: 'One woman's search for everything.'


Ladies' favourite: Julia Roberts in Eat, Pray, Love

And so it was I found myself on a bone-rattling midnight drive through the rice fields outside the inland town of Ubud, on my way to the Como Shambhala estate - one of Bali's most low-key luxury spa resorts.

I'll let Gilbert describe the setting: 'Ubud is in the centre of Bali, located in the mountains, surrounded by terraced rice paddies and innumerable hindu temples, with rivers that cut fast through deep canyons and volcanoes visible on the horizon.'

It was on the edge of one such canyon, with lush foliage and exotic birds, that I found myself eating breakfast the morning after my arrival.

Sipping on fresh watermelon juice while musing on the distant silhouette of Batur volcano, I certainly felt lighter in body and spirit.

The estate is the brainchild of Christina Ong, the Singaporean tycoon behind the Metropolitan hotel , London, and the Nobu restaurant group. A self-confessed yoga nut and style obsessive, Ong has created that elusive thing: a spa retreat that doesn't feel like one.

There are no white walls or men in medical coats, yet rumour has it this was the place Daniel Craig came to get in shape for his ab-tastic Bond outing in Casino Royale.

The emphasis is on making detoxing a pleasure. Thus, the estate is jaw-droppingly good-looking, the food delicious and the programmes an uninvasive pleasure.

I was prescribed a cleanse routine - a daily diet of yoga, Pilates and massage - that felt like pure indulgence. And so inspiring were the surroundings, I found myself voluntarily rising at dawn for a few laps of my personal infinity pool before an hour of sun salutations in the teak-wood yoga pavilion. In short, I felt like a new woman.

So much for the physical detox, but what about my state of mind? how was I to replicate the wisdom Gilbert absorbed in her daily sessions with Ketut Liyer, the twinkly-eyed guru of eat, Pray, Love? These days, coach-loads of American package tourists are dropped off at Liyer's village compound outside Ubud for a dose of his quirky spiritual advice. The 'seekers' who come to visit are seen in pairs, and queuing for the wise man's time is standard.

Those who don't want to take their Balinese philosophy as part of a coach tour can chose from the numerous other 'Balians', or spiritual healers, who live and work around Ubud. They offer cures for everything from muscle strain to a broken heart.


Bliss: The exotic escape of Como Shambhala is just the tonic for Flora


There is a Western-style therapist in residence at Como Shambhala, but I opted for the services of a different kind of wise man - Dr Deepak, a trained practitioner in the Ayurvedic system of holistic Indian medicine.

My consultation involved a detailed explanation of the philosophy behind Ayurveda. It all comes down to the elements, he told me.

Just as the universe-is made up of different elemental forces, so humans are each comprised of a unique combination of water, air, fire, wind and earth. Understanding our elemental make-up is the key to physical health and mental equilibrium, according to Ayurvedic believers.

He took me through a rigorous series of questions about every aspect of my health, from the sublime to the ridiculous ('Would you describe yourself as happy?'; 'How many times a day on average do you break wind?'). From this questionnaire, Dr Deepak deduced that my constitution is made up of a combination of 'vata' (wind) and 'pitta' (fire and water).

Armed with this diagnosis, he prescribed a special diet - as well as the standard list of discouraged substances at Como Shambhala: caffeine, dairy, wheat and alcohol.

I am also given a programme of calming Ayurvedic spa treatments. By the time I checked out of Como Shambhala, I felt overcome by a Liz Gilbert-style euphoria, and looked healthier than I had done in years.

In addition to living amid the countryside around Ubud, Gilbert also spends time in the town - 'the cultural hub of the island'.

Its visitors, too, get a good write-up from her: 'It isn't near any beaches, so the tourists . . . who come to Ubud are a rather classy crowd.'


Nature's favourite: The suites provide stunning views


After a week of early nights and even earlier mornings, I was in the mood for some culture, so I booked myself into Como Shambhala's sister property in town, Uma Ubud, to see if it lived up to Gilbert's description.

I wasn't disappointed. Despite a thriving tourism industry, Ubud has retained a friendly, small-town charm that feels entirely genuine.

But all this time spent inland had left me thirsty for some beach life. the final location in Gilbert's book is the tiny island of Gili Meno, just off the coast of Lombok. Having come to the island to follow a vow of silence while in the depths of her depression, at the end of the book she returns with her new lover to celebrate the beginning of a new, brighter chapter in her life.

Here's Gilbert again: 'The island is tiny, pristine, sandy, blue water, palm trees. It's a perfect circle with a single path that goes around it, and you can walk the circumference in an hour.

'There is no spot on the island from which you cannot hear the ocean. There are no motorised vehicles here. It's the quietest place I've ever been.'

I checked in to the island's most upmarket accommodation, Villa Nautilus, set in a lush tropical garden just off the beach.

Feasting on the freshest seafood and a Bintang beer were the only things on my to-do list. Could it be I had finally found Paradise, Liz Gilbert-style? One thing was certain: anyone looking to eat like a king, pray a little and fall in love with a country and way of life could do far worse than a fortnight in Bali.

Travel Facts
Wellbeing Escapes (www.wellbeingescapes.co.uk, 0845 602 6202) offers a five-night, full-board cleanse programme at Como Shambhala Estate and two nights' B&B at Uma Ubud in Bali from £2,500pp, based on two people sharing. Flights and airport transfers are included.Bungalows at Villa Nautilus, Gili Meno, start from £50 a night (www.villanautilus.com).


source: dailymail

British tourist arrested for taking photos of eight-year-old children on Algarve beach

By Tom Worden

Popular destination: The man was arrested on Marinotel beach in the resort of Vilamoura


A British tourist has been arrested on suspicion of taking photographs of children on a beach on the Algarve.

The 48-year-old was held after three sets of parents noticed him taking pictures of youngsters. Police said they found a number of photos of children aged eight to 15 on his camera.

He was arrested by officers from the Maritime Police on the Marinotel beach in the popular resort of Vilamoura at around 3pm on Thursday.


A new lead? The arrest was made around 50 miles east of where Madeleine McCann disappeared in 2007


The beach is around 50 miles east of Praia da Luz, the seaside village where Madeleine McCann disappeared in May 2007.

Commander Marques Ferreira said: 'A 48-year-old Englishman was seen photographing children on the beach at Marinotel in Vilamoura and was arrested by the Maritime Police.

'We were able to verify the existence of many photographs of children aged between eight and 15.'

A police source said witnesses claimed 'the man pointed his camera several times at children who where playing in the sand by the water.'

A Portuguese holidaymaker told newspaper Diario de Noticias: 'When the police arrived on the beach they were able to see the man still taking photos.'

The suspect, who has not been named, was due to appear at a court in the nearby town of Loule this morning.

Police made him an 'arguido' or formal suspect on Thursday evening before releasing him on bail.


Neighbouring resorts: The map shows how close Vilamoura is to Praia De Luz, where Madeleine McCann went missing


source: dailymail

Travellers flee serene Southwold less than 72 hours after setting up camp... because the locals were 'unfriendly and rude'

By Daily Mail Reporter

Travellers' children play with a horse on the common at Southwold, Suffolk. The families moved on withing 72 hours claiming locals were rude


A group of travellers have fled one of Britain's most exclusive seaside towns after claiming residents were unwelcoming and rude.

A dozen families set up camp in Southwold, Suffolk, causing a stir among locals.

The genteel resort is a favourite of celebrities such as Michael Palin, Chris Evans, Rowan Atkinson, Simon Mayo and Gary Lineker.

The travellers took over part of the town's common on the edge of the resort last weekend - but within 72 hours they had packed up and left complaining that locals were 'unfriendly and ill-mannered.'

The local council was preparing to launch expensive legal action to get the group moved on when the travellers suddenly departed.

Before they harnessed up their caravans to vans and expensive four-wheel drives, including a Range Rover, one woman said: 'They are supposed to be posh people here but they are just ignorant.

'They said rude things to us and called our children names. We have as much right as anyone else to have a holiday but they have been saying awful things about us and we will never come here again.'

Another traveller, Bill Lee, 39, said: 'We haven't been welcomed here with open arms - the local community seemed a bit scared of us but we only came here to bring the kids to the seaside for a holiday break.

'But we have been hassled from the minute we got here.'

John Miller, chairman of the Southwold Common Trust that looks after the 140-acre common left to the people of the town by a 17th century benefactor, said: 'We were just relieved to see them go - the common is the wonder of Southwold.

'We did not want them there - they were breaking by-laws that forbid any vehicles on the common.'


Picturesque: The genteel resort is a favourite of celebrities such as Michael Palin, Chris Evans, Rowan Atkinson, Simon Mayo and Gary Lineker.


He added: 'They promised they would only be there for a few days but had already leafleted the town offering to collect scrap and they were doing some sort of welding on the common.

'When we discovered they had arrived the town clerk and I went to see them with two policemen and we told them they have to leave immediately.

'We had to fix notices on all their caravans and vehicles which they didn't like much because they were worried the tape would spoil the paintwork.

'We had been expecting a lengthy and costly battle - up to £5,000 - to get them off the common but it seems the townspeople saved us time and money.'

Town Clerk Jenny Hursell said: 'Southwold is a very friendly, warm and welcoming town - but the travellers were their own worst enemy.

'They did some unpleasant things and they did leave a mess behind. We were very concerned that they were going to be there for months.'

But Southwold's loss has meant problems for residents living just a few miles away - the travellers have now set up camp in the nearby village of Brampton.



source: dailymail

Ahoy there! Katie Holmes Cruises on the high seas with Tom's adopted daughter Bella and Suri

By Daily Mail Reporter

Soggy fun: Katie Holmes and step-daughter Bella Cruise enjoy a fun day out despite the wet weather as Suri struggles with her pink umbrella


Katie Holmes had a soggy family day out with step-daughter Bella Cruise and tot Suri in Toronto while taking a break from filming her new movie.

Despite the rain, the trio got in some mother-daughter bonding time over the weekend in Canada, with Katie bringing along some of her co-stars for the ride.

The former Dawson's Creek star and Bella were seen laughing and enjoying each other's company while on a ferry ride to an amusement park.


Girlie fun: A dressed down Katie having a laugh with Bella as Suri looks on


Katie is currently filming the biopic The Kennedys with Greg Kinnear, who came along for the trip with his wife Helen and daughters Lily and Audrey - giving Suri some young playmates to have fun with.

The group loaded up on a ferry to Center Island, off the coast of Toronto, to visit Centreville Amusement Park for a fun-filled Saturday outing.


Family day: Bella takes a picture of her little sister on her camera phone as they enjoy a ferry ride off the coast of Toronto


Bella who is Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman's adopted daughter has grown closer to Katie over the years and is seen out more with Katie than with Nicole.

The 17-year-old spends a lot of time with Katie, often enjoying shopping trips and movie set visits with her step-mum.

Tom and Nicole also have a 15-year-old adopted son Connor who Katie is close to as well.

Suri looked adorable in a pink summer dress, pairing it with purple ballet slippers and carrying a cuddly toy.


Cruising: Katie Holmes enjoys a ferry trip with her family and co-stars as they make their way to Centreville Amusement Park off the coast of Toronto, Canada


Sisterly love: Bella keeps an eye on little sister Suri with mum Katie looking on as they all enjoy a day out at the weekend


She seemed to enjoy spending time with her big sister who took pride in looking after the mini-fashionista.

Katie was dressed down in faded jeans, cowboy boots and a beige jacket. A far cry from the glamorous outfits she sports in her portrayal as style-icon Jackie Kennedy.
Aside from filming, Katie is gearing up to promote her new film The Romantics which hits US theatres on September 10th.


Saying goodbye: Katie hugs her friends at the end of their fun day out together


source: dailymail