Beirut has survived a decade and a half of conflict in the once ruined City Centre a huge reconstruction project is underway to create a new commercial and residential district for the 21st century, improving banking, construction, import-export and service industries. You can get flights to Beirut’s newly renovated Rafic Hariri International Airport which has transport links to the city by service cab or taxi cab.

Beirut has lots of ancient history, it stands on the site of a very ancient settlement going back at least 5,000 years and has been continuously inhabited for millennia, until recently most of the few archaeological discoveries in Beirut were accidental, until conflict ended in 1991 and more archaeological investigations could take place. Beirut has lots of Roman sites to visit like the Group of five columns, Roman Exedra, Roman baths and many floor mosaics. As well as lots of Roman archaeology there is also lots of medieval buildings to admire.

Beirut also has plenty of entertainment and was named one of the ten liveliest cities in the world by Lonely Planet, thanks to its night life districts which have many pubs and clubs. You can choose from a large selection of local restaurants specialising in Lebanese food as well as western restaurants.

The street markets of Beirut off many traditional crafts, high fashion, jewellery and your everyday needs, all are easy to find. There are also many art shows and exhibitions going on all year round with hundreds of galleries in the suburbs of Beirut.

Beirut is an ideal city to visit it has a wide variety of mixed culture including Greeks, Romans and Arabs you can easily get to Beirut to experience it all with cheap flights departing from many of the UK’s major airports.

Beirut sunset

Picture courtesy of austinevan

When we think of skiing, naturally the Alps come to mind and it is here that you will certainly find some of the best skiing in the world. But, there is more to be had and your ski holiday specialist will be able to offer ski deals in more than 100 resorts in 20 countries throughout the world, not just in our traditional winter either, so if you are really keen you can ski somewhere all year round!

You ski holidays provider is the place to look as they update on a daily basis; ski deals are available and they will come up with a stream of offers to the best ski locations. Last minute chalet deals can crop up for a number of reasons and these can offer truly fantastic value for money, remember chalet ski holidays are all inclusive and you will eat fab meals and be awash with good wine to make merry with like minded people. Registering with a ski holiday provider is the best way to secure one of the great last minute deals, they will be able to contact you by text, mobile or e-mail so you can snap up a skiing bargain

Ski holidays are a much safer way to enjoy skiing, rather than trying to make your own makeshift slope at home. Ski resorts have numerous safety measures in place to reduce the risk of accidents from beginners to pro’s, plus there are paramedics close at hand to offer aid if you do manage to injure yourself.

No matter what your level of experience is you should always invest in a few ski lessons as terrain varies from resort to resort, obviously the less experience you have had the more lessons you will need.  It also helps to have guidance from experts who have been into these sports for years so that you can improve your performance and safety on piste. If you have never skied before there are plenty of fully trained staff to help get started and teach you how to ski, lessons are fun and easy.

All ski resorts give you the option to hire equipment if you do not own your own as you need to make sure you the correct equipment, suitable for your needs and fitted to the right size for you. This will then give you more protection against serious injury.

You can easily find great ski deals at resorts all around the world, so there will be no need to attempt to ski down some snow covered stairs.

If you’re looking to treat one of your best girlfriends for their birthday an exciting city break would be an ideal treat which they would be truly grateful for and London is a great destination to visit, you can indulge yourselves in a spot of shopping, a spa day, gourmet meals and a west end show.

The capital is easy to get to and the most stress free way is by train, all the major London stations have good links to get all around the city no matter where you’re staying. If you’re going for a weekend break you want to get the most out of your stay and one of the most important things to experience (well for women really) is the shopping. You have a wide choice of designer shops to choose from as well as world famous department stores, Harvey Nicholls and Selfridges as well as all the high street stores you can think of.

After spending a whole day on your feet shopping probably carrying many bags of clothes and shoes you would probably grateful to spend a day spa London being pampered. There are many treatments to choose from that will relax you and leave you rejuvenated like a traditional Thai massage London or experience a Thai herbal scrub, you can also treat your weary hands and feet to the ancient technique of reflexology which not only makes your feet fell better but the whole of your body as well a manicure and pedicure to glam up your hands and feet.

Once you have been rejuvenated you can then go and enjoy a gourmet meal in a 5* London restaurant but be warned many ‘it’ places to eat require booking in advance to get in. After which you can go see any number of west end shows like Hairspray, Legally Blonde, Mama Mia and Dirty Dancing, a perfect way to end a great birthday weekend of shopping, relaxation, great food and a exciting show!

If you want to get away from it all this year for Valentines, a cruise holiday is a great way to be wined and dined and enjoy some of the best services available. Many cruise lines are often described as luxurious floating hotels with 5 star services that fit your every need.

You can get some great cruise deals around the Mediterranean visiting places like South of France, Gibraltar, Barcelona, Corsica and Rome, some of the most romantic places around the Med. Or you can venture further afield to the Caribbean and dock at ports in Barbados and Mexico and have a long break away enjoying all the services aboard as well as visiting some of the most beautiful places in the world.

love

Picture courtesy of sister72

Many ski resorts around Europe are offering Fresher’s Ski Week, running from16-23 January and 20-27 March, resorts in such places as Andorra, Austria, Finland, France Norway and Switzerland will offer free ski lessons, equipment and lift passes for beginners.

There are also some ideal resorts to visit if you are a novice at skiing, ideal if you are new to skiing or are still unsure and want a safe skiing holiday.

Le Gets in France

Set around an 11th century logging village Le Gets has 500 miles of virginal snow surrounding it, the village is also very picturesque making it very popular around Christmas time. The beginner ski slopes finish their course in the village, so no hard ski home at the end of the day and for those who gain more confidence the slopes also connect to other resorts.

Villers in Switzerland

Villers has had a world class ski school since 1932 which feature high tech equipment as well as 300 registered instructors, the resort is also surrounded by alpine glades and logging huts giving it a classical relaxed feel. There are also no ski lifts to reach the slopes instead a mountain railway takes you up, and once up there you don’t just have to ski there is also sledging and snow shoe trekking available too for a change.

St Wolfgang in Austria

A lake around St Wolfgang freezes over in winter to form a natural ice rink an ideal escape if you have had enough of skiing and fancy a change, while you enjoy learning at your own leisurely pace on the gentle gradients you can also take in some breathtaking scenery around this traditional mountain village.

Jasper in Canada

84% of the slopes at this resort have been graded at beginner level idea for those novices who like space, the resort is nestle in the Canadian Rockies meaning there is plenty of awe inspiring scenery to be seen and national parks nearby to explore. The area is also host to the next winter Olympics.

If you have ever wondered what it was like to spend a day as a celebrity you now can whilst enjoying a break away, below are some holidays where you can experience the celebrity lifestyle.

DJ in Ibiza – If you have always fancied trying out being a DJ now you can, while on holiday in Ibiza you can spend 2 days learning the tricks of the trade from mixing records, working a dancefloor and being able to know what people mean when someone talks about flangers, 1210’s and spinbacks. Over the two day course you can take private lessons with Anthony Bryans, better known as Antz, a long-time contemporary of Danny Rampling, who has been playing alongside Pete Tong and who also has his own night at the club Aura. You will gain experience in the dying art of beat mixing vinyl, as well as how to handle a CD mixer. After learning the trade you can then go on and see the masters at work in the clubs at night.

Star in a movie – A lot of people have dreamed of being a movie star and starring in their own film, well now you can make your dreams a reality when staying in the Peninsula Beverly Hills. Not only at the hotel can you rub shoulder with the top movies stars and directors but whilst staying at the hotel you can also arrange for the concierge to have an Emmy-nominated producer and crew spend a day filming you doing whatever it is you like from wandering around the hotel grounds to enjoying a drink at the hotel bar. The footage is then edited and made into a professional quality DVD for you to keep.

Record CD in Jamaica – If you’re staying on an exclusive little beach resort of Geejam in San San, close to Port Antonio, you can record an album as part of the holiday package. The Jamaican recording studio Geejam has seen the likes of No Doubt, Björk, Lily Allen and Gorillaz all record there, meaning you can now experience what those singers do with everything from a creative meeting with the Producer/Musicians and Backing Vocalists/Writers to pre production and full support through your recording session. At the end of your stay in the luxury resort you can leave with your very own CD.

DJ

Picture courtesyof PresleyJesus

Dammam is the capital of the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia and is also the largest city in the Eastern Province and third largest in Saudi Arabia after Riyadh and Jeddah. Dammam Port is the largest on the Persian Gulf and is second to Jeddah’s port for import-export traffic. As with many places in Saudi Arabia Dammam in the past relied heavily on the sale of oil, in this oil-rich region, however the city of Dammam now attracts a large number of tourists thanks to its moderate climate. It is also easy and economic to get to with cheap flights to Dammam departing from most UK airports.

Some of the beautiful coastal beaches on the Gulf include the Half Moon Bay which is one of the most popular beaches especially for the young who enjoy lots of water sports. There are also many tourist spots to enjoy, one of most famous tourist attractions in Dammam is the Dammam Corniche which features some amazing natural beauty, lots of relaxation and calmness as well as activities by the sea. Dammam also offers the towering Coral Island where family fun comes first with plenty of activities for the whole family to enjoy and lots to see like the lighthouse where you can climb up to the top and see out into the Persian Gulf or you can relax with a spot of fishing. Or you can roam around King Fahad’s Park which covers an area 1,120 million square meters, and is one of the largest parks in the region and has a number of artificial lakes and green spaces as well as large waterfalls, fountains and children’s play areas.

Dammam is also popular for shopping due to many shopping malls that feature a good choice of diverse goods and many well known brands as well as a number of independent retail outlets. You can also find plenty of traditional markets selling a wide range of local produce and individual hand made goods. There are not lots of up market restaurants in Dammam as many places tend to feature speciality local food which is defiantly worth a try, they do however have a few well known fast food outlets.

Quite a few new hotels have now sprung up in Dammam since it became more popular with tourists, although many have modern amenities they have still been built in a traditional style in keeping with many parts of Dammam.

The resort of La Rosiere sits in the Haute Tarentaise region of France, a beautiful scenic resort close to the Vanoise National Park, and is linked to the Italian ski slopes by six chair lifts., making it an ideal destination for a ski holiday.

This venue is ideal for ski holidays and is great for intermediate skiers as just over 50 percent of the slopes are blue; a third are green runs, and the remainder are black (single diamond). 39 lifts service the slopes and the longest run is slightly less than seven miles.

The resort is very family friendly; children are welcomed and the hotels offer a range of activities for them.  Several restaurants provide wonderful French and Italian food.

Five airports are within three hours drive to the area, with Chambery, Grenoble, Geneva and Lyon being the closest. People can also take the train to nearby Bourg St Maurice, and then rent a car or take a bus or taxi.

The alternative resort of La Tania has a real community feel to it with virtually no traffic, and great programmes for beginner skiers and the children. It’s great for ski holidays. Six bars and eight restaurants service the area, and there are bars and nightclubs for evening entertainment.

You can fly into the Geneva, Chambery or Lyon airports to get to the area. Nestled in France near the Italy-Swiss border, it is a great place for skiers of any level, and also snowboarders. The area has 27 green runs, 44 blue, 38 red, and 10 black. You can enjoy downhill skiing and also cross-country runs.  There are 67 ski lifts giving easy access to the slopes. Many of the slopes are above 2,500 metres so you can ski and snowboard for most of the season. In other areas, they use snow cannons to ensure that the slopes are covered.

La Rosiere - France

Picture courtesy of Konrad Andrews

It’s that time of year again where we are bombarded with TV advertisement advertising huge sales, many people will be thinking of probably trying to pick up a bargain in clothes shops, furniture shops or electrical stores but many people do not think about the offers they can get on a holiday.

The January sales are a great time  for cheap cruises with many tour operators offering huge discounts and incentives for all sorts of cruise holidays. It may seem a bit daunting to find the cruise for you, with so many destinations available offered by numerous cruise lines and so many tempting offers.

Some of the top of the range cruise lines have some great savings for some of their more elegant and stylish trips which are worth checking out if you want to experience cruising in style on some of the most regal of cruise ships like Cunard’s fleet or on the some of the Royal Caribbean’s fleet which include the new Oasis of the seas. Or you can look at some of the older ships where there are even more bargains to be had.

Royal Caribbean ship

Picture courtesy of Rob Inh00d