Barbados, “the pearl of the Caribbean”, is 20 miles of soft coral and is a small island that is pear shaped. It is actually an enormous and ancient coral reef approximately one million years old. The water, which permeated the reef, produced magnificent underground caverns such as Harrison’s Cave in Bridgetown. Here you will see stalagmites, stalactites, waterfalls, and deep emerald pools, all of which you can see in an electrically operated tram.

Because of 340 days of sunshine per year, the beaches on Barbados are glorious. Water sports are popular including fishing, scuba diving, fishing, sailing, water skiing, and snorkeling.

At Cobblers Cove, which is styled as an elegant English Country House on one of Barbados’ best beaches, you can swim with the sea turtles. You can also enjoy a gourmet restaurant with culinary demonstrations by Chef Porteus and a wine tasting.

If you prefer rum, go to the Heritage Park and Rum Factory, which produces the ESA Field, a white rum preferred by connoisseurs. There is free admission at this first rum distillery which was inaugurated in 1996 and is on a former molasses and sugar plantation which dates back 350 years.

The Andromeda Botanical Gardens in St. Joseph features six acres of hibiscus, orchids, ferns, palms, and more. There is a stream with waterfalls and pools. These spectacular gardens were started in 1954 by a local horticulturist.

At the Animal Flower Cave in the parish of St. Lucy, which is in the most northerly point of the island, you can see the sea anemones that live in the pools in a cave. The Flower Forest with its brilliantly-colored flowers is also a sight to see.

Garrison has the Barbados Museum, which is in what was the British Military Prison with an upper section built in 1817 and a lower section built in 1853. It contains artifacts from the island’s early inhabitants and “Yesterday’s Children”, which is a gallery giving an educational travel back into history. There are also historical maps and furnishings from an 18th century plantation house.

St. Nicholas Abbey was built around 1650 as one of the Western Hemisphere’s three Jacobean plantation houses. It has the famous curved gables and is decorated with antiques. The sugar cane fields continue to be cultivated, and they have reconstructed a sugar refinery right on the property.

Portugal not only has lovely beaches especially in the southern Algarve area but also a beautiful wine region in the north including Vita Nova de Gaia where you can sample the country’s best port wines and the Douro Valley ,which is a UNESCO World Heritage site, that can be reached by a historic train ride or cruise. Portugal also has good weather, festivals all year long that feature dancing and feasting, many historical landmarks, excellent cuisine, horse riding, water sports including scuba diving and surfing, and more. The best part of all, for many, is that the prices are more affordable than in most other countries.

There are numerous interesting places to visit.

Peneda-Geres is the only national park in Portugal and is 170,000 acres of mountain scenery and old villages.

The Shrine at Fatima is an important pilgrimage for Roman Catholics since the Virgin Mary appeared to a children’s group in 1917.

One of the best views of the capital Lisbon is from the Castelo de Sao Jorge in the Alfama district. This was a castle and then a defensive position that was built over 1,000 years ago and where the beginnings of Lisbon were born. Destroyed along with much of the city in 1755, in 1938 the castle was restored.

Alfama is Lisbon’s oldest quarter and is a village inside the city. It has narrow medieval lanes with taverns, hidden churches, small squares, steep staircases, and an old tram that goes through the streets.

The Gulbenkian Museum in Lisbon features Egyptian sculptures, ancient paintings, and is free to visitors on Sundays.

The Tile Museum features a collection of decorative tiles and tile paintings that date back to the 15th century.

Less than two hours from Lisbon is the small village of Obidos which was given by King Dinis to his new wife, Isabel, as a wedding gift. The former Queen’s castle has been converted and, for an expensive amount of money, you can stay there. There is also an 18th century manor house located in the village.

Estoril, a short distance from Lisbon on the Atlantic coast, has a world famous car and motorcycle racetrack.

The Conimbriga Ruins is one of the country’s oldest attractions and takes you back to the Roman times with portrayals of Greek mythological characters and fascinating mosaics.

The Convent of Christ in Tomar’s superb buildings were occupied by the Knights Templar dating back to medieval times.

Tenerife, in the Canary Islands, is Spain’s most populated island. It also has Spain’s highest mountain, the earth’s third largest volcano, and 4 of Spain’s 13 national parks. The cities and resorts on Tenerife are very popular and contain many historical and top-ranked structures.

The ancient Romans, and the Arabs in the Middle Ages, visited the Canary Islands because of the abundance of the now extinct monk seals (“sea dogs” in Latin, and thus the name of the Islands, Insula Canaria, meaning “Island of the Dogs”). Spanish traders and conquerors also stopped there on the way to the New World, and pirates were also attracted to the area.

Los Gigantes (“The Cliffs of the Giants”) is on the western coast, has a small black volcanic sand beach and a very busy marina with many yachts docked there.

The beaches are filled with swimmers looking for safe waters, surfers, divers, fishermen, catamaran sailors, paragliders, jet skiers, whale and dolphin watchers, and pleasure boaters. The “blue flag”, which is given to those beaches with regulated cleanliness standards, was given to Playa de Las Americas in 1998 by the European Environmental Education Foundation (FEE).

Santa Cruz de Tenerife, which is the capital and seat of the Parliament of the Canaries, has the highest skyscrapers of the Canary Archipelago (the Torres de Santa Cruz – towers of Santa Cruz) as well as Spain’s highest residential towers. Also interesting to see is the Tenerife Auditorium, which is the best known modern structure in the Canary Islands.

If this is a family vacation, Costa Adeje offers various entertainment for children at the hotels and restaurants. You can also visit the Monkey Park, Jungle Park, botanical gardens, and a large water park (Aqualand Costa Adeje). Camel rides and go-karting are also available. For the adults there are well manicured golf courses, casinos, a busy night life with live music and karaoke, etc.

Another known family resort is Los Cristianos, which is joined by a promenade with Playa de Las Americas. The beach between the two resorts is lined with shops and restaurants with international cuisine.

Plaza de Las Americas is the most developed of the Canary Islands resorts with shopping centers and street markets as well as luxury 4 and 5 star hotels and many restaurants (with the Chinese ones offering the best value). It also has its own man-made beach, which is the world’s most accessible beach for visitors who are disabled.

Florida has many unusual places to visit. Here are a few that you would enjoy.

TARPON SPRINGS is a community on the Gulf of Mexico which was settled in the 1880s by Greek immigrants that were hired by the sponge harvesting industry as divers. Now Tarpon Springs continues as the U.S.A. city with the most Greek-Americans. When the sponge fields were wiped out in 1947 by a red tide algae, the divers changed to fishing and shrimping. Tourist attractions eventually took over the warehouses. The famous Sponge Docks now feature a panorama of sponging and tours on sponge boats. Greek culture is featured in over 100 shops, art galleries, and in the authentic Greek foods in the restaurants. You can also visit the Tarpon Springs Aquarium that has a living coral reef as well as live sponges, sharks, and fish.

GAINESVILLE in north central Florida is the home of the United States’ third largest university, the University of Florida. Its football team, the Gators, are attempting to win their fourth National College Football Championship this year (2009) after winning two in the past three years. Gainesville was named one of the “best places to live and play” by “National Geographic Adventure” in 2007.

The RINGLING FAMILY CIRCUS MUSEUM AND MANSION is located in Sarasota and gives you an exciting look at a large collection of circus memorabilia with costumes, circus wagons, and the world’s largest miniature circus created over a period of 50 years. Also interesting to see is the 1905 lavishly furnished special rail car that was built for the Ringleys to travel in style. The mansion itself is built right on Sarasota Bay and is truly palatial with 36,000 square feet, 56 rooms, five stories, and a tower that is 81 feet high. When the mansion was completed in 1925, it cost $1.5 million.

The BOK SINGING TOWER AND GARDENS in Lake Wales are National Historic Landmarks. This was the winter estate of Edward William Bok, who was the editor of “Ladies Home Journal” for over 30 years and also a Pulitzer Prize-winning author. The Singing Tower is 205 feet high, was constructed of 4 million pounds of Georgia marble, and has 60 individually-cast bells that ring daily.

You can book check Florida holidays at virtually all travel agencies

Palma, the capital of Majorca is also the island’s main port. It’s situated on the South of the island and it is a fabulous place to visit with many things available there to do. For starters, Palma is an excellent place to shop, it’s main shopping area is Jaume III where you’ll find plenty of shops selling everything from jewellery to fashionable clothing and much more. La Rambla where the flower market is held is a great place to visit not just for the flowers, but also fo the many terrace café’s that are situated here.

The El Terreno area of Palma is probably the best place to go if you’re looking for some nightlife. Palma isn’t as big on nightlife as Magaluf just down the road, but in this area you’ll find many bars and eateries where you can enjoy a drink and a meal and many have their own evening entertainment too.

The Castell De Bellver is a circular castle about 2 kilometres from the city centre. It was built around 700 years ago and is very well preserved. Considered a gothic marvel this fabulous castle has 500 steps that lead up the Puig de Sa Mesquida at one side. It is home to two museums both of which are worth visiting, the first is a local history museum and the other is home to a collection of classical sculptures. Even if you’re not really a museum fan, the place is worth visiting as a trip up onto the roof affords one of the best views of the landscape surrounding the city including the bay of Terreno. Another museum worth visiting in the old quarter of Palma is it’s museum of dolls which houses over 500 dolls dating from 1840 to 1940.

The Banys Arabs or Arab Baths are virtually all that remains of the Arab city of Medina Mayurga. It’s believed that they probably belonged to part of a nobleman’s home and they’re similar to those found in other Islamic cities. The tepidarium has a dome with 25 round shafts for sun light supported by 12 columns. Each column is different and they may well have been salvaged from the ruins of roman buildings which came before them.

The Parc de la Mar is a manmade lake around which there is a park containing several cafes. It’s a place where many outdoor concerts take place, and you will find a mural donated by Joan Miro here too.

Just to the outskirts of Palma is the Poble Espanyol (Spanish Village). Here there are reproductions of famous buildings from Cordoba, Toledo and Madrid along with typical houses from Spanish regions. Spanish food is served in the Plaza Mayor and a trip here will give you a kind of whistle stop tour of Spanish architecture showing the development through Muslim and Christian influences. Various artists give displays of handicrafts in workshops scattered through this village.

Lanzarote is the fourth largest of the Canary Islands in the Atlantic Ocean. It is a Spanish island about 125 km off Africa’s coast and was a target of pirate raids in the 16th and 17th centuries.

The Canary Islands are known as having black sand beaches because of volcanic eruptions. El Golfo has two black sand beaches, a famous Green Lagoon, and some excellent seafood restaurants in this small coastal village. The Green Lagoon is a lake of emerald green water in the center of a volcano. The green color is from an accumulation of algae. Near the town of Orzola is a natural lagoon where you can enjoy the rarity of bathing in a bath water temperature.

Most of Lanzarote’s 90 plus beaches have golden or white sands. Its three main resorts have Blue Flag beaches, which means they are maintained well, regularly cleaned, and have facilities such as loungers and toilets.

One of the best beaches is at Papagayo, which has a number of coves and better weather as it is at the southern tip of the island. Another beach, which is called one of the most beautiful in the world, is Famara. On the northwest coast and having a nine-kilometer stretch of sand, Famara is not suited for sunbathing during the winter. Its strong winds make it more suitable for activities such as kite surfing. Playa de la Canteria’s beach has huge breakers, which are dangerous for swimming but are a favorite with surfers.

Said to be the most popular tourist attraction is the lava Volcano Park at Timanfya with colorful dormant volcanoes. The Green Caves is one of the world’s longest volcanic tunnels. Also popular is the breathtaking home of Cesar Manrique, an artist and architect born there, which was built around five volcanic vacuums in the lava flow.

The Castillo San Jose is a beautifully renovated castle from the 18th century which features modern sculptures and paintings and an interesting restaurant that you reach up a spiral staircase. Admission is free.

Mozaga, the Farming Museum, is another with free admission. It is an old renovated farmhouse having locals recreating and selling traditional craft items.

The Castillo San Gabriel features archeological pieces from the original aboriginal inhabitants of the island. There are fossils, skeletons, ancient pottery, coins, and jewelry.

Masdache, the Wine Museum, in the island’s oldest bodega dating back to the 1770′s, contains ancient presses and bottling equipment.

The Whale and Dolphin Museum has life-size models, preserved specimens, real skeletons, and a fascinating film.

If this has given you a flavour for a Lanzarote holiday then you shoudl book one through any good travel agency

The allure of Paris for a honeymoon or special anniversary trip is the height of romantic desire. The city is surrounded by hills and traversed east to west by the River Seine into the Right Bank and the Left Bank. It first came to prominence when Julius Caesar conquered it in 52 BC.

In addition to the superb hotels and world-class cuisine, there are numerous places to visit during the daytime hours to expand your Parisian experience.

The L’Arc de Triomphe was commissioned by Napoleon as a symbol of the French victory and had its completion in 1836. It is situated at the center of place Charles de Gaulle that branches off into 12 different avenues. With the tomb of the unknown soldier at its base, the spectacular sculpture-adorned arch has a rooftop viewing platform and a small museum.

The Eiffel Tower is another historic site with magnificent views for miles, and the second level at sunset is the most recommended for taking photos.

The famous cathedral, Notre Dame, dates back to the 12th century with its Gothic architecture.

The world’s largest museum and a past royal palace is the Musee du Louvre (Louvre Museum), which is not only the home of the famous “Mona Lisa” but also contains a huge collection of antiques and art. Built in 1190, it became an art showcase in the 1600s. Leonardo de Vinci was appointed painter of the Royal Court in 1516, and in 1793 the Louvre was opened as a museum.

Paris Authentic, with its “Blue, White and Red”, gives a history of the city and offers a panoramic view of the above three sites as well as the Champs Elysees.

Versailles is an extravagant palace with lush gardens, lakes, guest houses, and stables. See the restored rooms, the Hall of Mirrors, and the crystal, golden, and hand-painted furnishings.

The Luxembourg Gardens, once available only to royalty, is now one of the most famous parks in Paris. You can come to just enjoy the beauty and the two elaborate fountains, or you can play tennis, sail a model boat, or see a puppet show.

You can experience wine tasting at the O Chateau in a former royal cellar near the Louvre. The tour and tastings of French wines and champagne include great anecdotes about French wine.

French dining is a leisurely event of great food, drink, and socializing. It is to be enjoyed as an appreciated sensual pleasure whether in the most expensive restaurant or in casual surroundings.

Bangkok, Thailand, has some of the world’s best hotels at very special prices. The Thai culture and hospitality is outstanding.

There is a sky train and underground system in addition to taxis, so it is easy to travel around to the different attractions.

Thailand is known for some of the world’s best spas with every type of massage and treatment. It is also known as a golfer’s paradise with some of the world’s best golf courses and rates. You can even go to Pakchong Creek and take a 45-minute ride on the back of an elephant.

Thailand is internationally rated as having the world’s best cinemas, some of which feature a lounge that holds only 20 to 40 people and pampers them with complimentary beverages and snacks. The seats recline and come with a pillow and blanket so that you can watch the latest movies in comfort.

Shopping is an experience you don’t want to miss since you can find discounts as much as 80% off high quality goods. You must also see the floating markets, which are canoes laden with fruits, vegetables, meats, and sweets.

The night life entertainment in Bangkok is famous around the world, and the thousands of restaurants are a culinary delight. If you are adventurous and see a place where the locals gather for the “street” food, try it out as that is the real Thai cuisine.

The Grand Palace is outstanding architecturally and was the home of the Kings of Siam. It houses the Emerald Buddha, Thailand’s most revered Buddha image, which dates back to the 14th century. It was carved from one piece of jade. Admission includes a ticket to the Vimanmek Royal mansion.

Within walking distance from the Grand Palace is the National Museum, one of the largest in Southeast Asia. Its buildings were once used as a palace and house many artifacts from all parts of the country.

Next to the Grand Palace is the Wat Pho with its gigantic gold plated reclining Buddha. There are also many beautiful ancient temples in the area with other outstanding Buddha images.

The Vimamek Mansion Museum is the world’s largest golden teak building and was a 3 story mansion of 81 rooms, halls and chambers with Royal memorabilia.

The Ancient City covers 280 acres, is built into the actual shape of Thailand, and has gigantic replicas of famous monuments, buildings, and temples. It is known as the largest outdoor museum in the world.

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If you want to take an adventurous family vacation, visit Alcudia on the Mediterranean island of Majorca.

The scenery itself with its seven-mile white sand beaches, warm waters with many sports available, the rocky Aucanada Peninsular covered with pines, historic sites, and much more are just the start of what is available to explore.

Safe warm bathing in the Mediterranean Sea is just one of the things you can do to take advantage of these beautiful waters. There is fishing, diving, kite surfing, and taking a glass bottom boat trip to see the sea sights or go to another island.

If you prefer that your children swim in a pool, most of the hotels are very family friendly and offer special pools, clubs with activities, play areas, as well as early eating times. Hidropark is within walking distance of many of the hotels and has a wave pool, two children’s pools, slides, a boating lake, water flumes, and very attentive lifeguards.

The El Laberinto Giant Maze Fun Park is one of the biggest attractions in northern Majorca. It has water monsters that fight with pirates, wizards, clowns, games, a castle, etc. Their maze of wooden panels are often changed to create different challenges.

You can find miniature golf courses for the whole family, watch boats in the marina at the scenic harbor that used to be a fishing port, go bicycling or horseback riding, go-karting, observe fiestas throughout the year and learn about the culture of the island, or just soak in the sun.

A special place is the S’Albufera bird watcher’s conservation area where you can see some of the over 200 species of birds.

The Old Town (an ancient walled Moorish fort) has Spain’s smallest amphitheater and Roman, Moorish, and Byzantine historic buildings where a guided walking tour can teach you much about the history of the area.

The colorful market on Tuesdays and Sundays is a sight to behold with the souvenirs, embroidered linens, leather goods, crafts, jewelry, and more.

Much of the night life in Alcudia is also geared to the family with entertainment for children such as a parrot show, bird and reptile shows, movie nights showing the latest films, a “Grease” show, etc.