Rooms and Facilities

The hotel’s 120 spacious rooms are set in a turn-of-the century Portuguese mansion with 10 suites and 10 independent cottages. Suites and deluxe rooms have traditional Goan paintings and terracotta sculpture to complement the olive green and sandstone decor.  Set amid green spaces, the hotel has a heated indoor pool, traditional ayurvedic massage spa and casino.  The hotel offers wired and Wi-Fi internet services, satellite television, international direct dial, a minibar, tea and coffee maker.  The poolside restaurant has two live food counters featuring traditional Indian and European cuisine.  The indoor restaurant has a delightfully Goan lunch and dinner buffet.  A short stroll down to the beach also allows guests to enjoy parasailing and jet skiing in the waters of the Arabian Sea. The private beach also has active and vigilant lifeguards although the water is red-flagged just a few meters out.

The Majorda Beach resort offers the elegance of Goa’s warmth and hospitality to its discerning clientele, without the kitschy ambience of a run-of-the-mill resort.

So you’ve found the ideal cheap holiday, a great deal on flights, or a handy hotel discount, this is all well and good, but if you end up spending a small fortune on eating out then the hard work will be ruined.  After travel and accommodation, food is the next biggest holiday expense. If you eat out for every meal, it could easily set a family back several hundred pounds over the course of a week.

One simple way around this is to book hotel accommodation that includes breakfast in the price.  It may not be the most exciting cuisine, but it can set you up well for the day and is one expense you won’t have to worry about.  Picnics are a good option for lunch. Many tour operators also offer package holidays with all meals included, so these are worth investigating too.

The other option is self-catering accommodation and buying all your food.  This may take some of the fun out of your holiday, but it could also give you the extra funds to splash out on a very special meal.

The holiday highlight for most visitors to the Maldives is being able to see exotic fish and the coral reef life with your own eyes.  Many pelagic creatures such as sharks, oriental sweetlips, rays, and blue-lined snappers can be seen.  The clear waters of the Maldives offer enough light and visibility so that diving to see these creatures is pretty straightforward.

If diving is not for you then you can enjoy a tour of the creatures that reside in the coral reef of the Maldives through taking a passenger submarine.  This allows you to enjoy both the day and night creatures as tours operate at all hours of the day.  Passengers are treated to the sights of yellow boxfish, turtles, and yellow-blue stripped snappers and even tip reef sharks.

Visitors on Maldives holidays can see different kinds of marine life at different times of year.  The Maldives is ruled by two seasons, namely the north-east monsoon that dominates during the months of December to April, and the south-east monsoon, dominating the climate and seas during the months of May to November.

Visitors to the island will immediately notice there remains a British influence throughout Barbados, particularly when looking at the architecture of older buildings, with many being built in Georgian, Victorian or  Jacobean styles. There are also strong elements of West African culture to be found in Barbados. This is most noticeable with the arts and traditional Calypso music of the island.

The island of Barbados has plenty to offer holidaymakers visiting the country. Most famous for stunning beaches and a perfect year-round climate, Barbados holidays provide plenty of other activities and excursions for those who don’t want to lie on the beach all day. Barbados famously has some of the best cuisine in the Caribbean, mixing Creole cooking with African and European influences. The country also boasts a vibrant culture of traditional arts, crafts and music, with a lively atmosphere that is sure to infect visitors to the island.

There are some beautiful all-inclusive resorts that specialize in wedding planning.  All you have to do is show up.  Fiji, the Caribbean, Hawaii, Barbados and the Virgin Islands are just a few of the first class destinations where you can tie the knot.  You can choose from a casual barefoot ceremony, or opt for something more formal in the tropical gardens.  Your planner will help you choose the flowers and music that is provided by the resort.  The weddings officiate and your certificate is also included.  After you say I do, your friends and family can congratulate the two of you at a first class reception with food, champagne, dancing and a beautiful wedding cake. 

One of the best things about having your ceremony and honeymoon on the same island is the cost.  You can save hundreds of dollars on airfare, accommodation and meals.  Some tropical island destinations will give you incredible discounts if you book your ceremony at their resort.

For guests looking for luxury holiday dining, the most unique restaurant in the Maldives is the Ithaa Underwater restaurant on the Conrad Maldives Rangali Island.  Serving contemporary fusion cuisine that mixes Asian and Western influences, this exquisite award-winning restaurant is situated 15 feet into the Indian Ocean, surrounded by a spectacular coral reef.  The coral reef offers a 270-degree panoramic view.  To reach Ithaa, guests walk across a wooden walkway from the oversea Sunset Grill Restaurant.  To ensure intimacy and privacy, only 14 lucky guests are admitted into the underground dining area.

The world’s first underwater restaurant itself is encased in clear acrylic, and this one of a kind restaurant is the only one where guests are surrounded by glass with fish swimming on the outside.  The flavours are proudly Maldivian, featuring traditional spices of Maldivian cooking in Western recipes.  Ithaa itself has become a top tourist attraction of the island.

The restaurant is open for cocktail hours, lunch and dinner, all served in elegant ocean themed dining ware.  Cocktail hour only includes drinks and canapés.

Ireland
Bundoran, in Donegal, is Irelands surfing capital.  It has both reef breaks for more experienced surfers and beach breaks for beginners – an ideal location for learning. It has long beaches and consistent waves all year round.

Portugal

Portugal is blessed with over 600km of beach breaks with the best waves rolling in through late winter and early spring.  There are many surf camps along the Portuguese coast for both beginners and more experienced surfers.  If you’re looking for an upmarket surf resort, Hotel Baleeira is a four star resort at Sagres.  Set on a clifftop over looking the bay, guests will be treated to spa treatments between sessions on the Algarve’s world class breaks.

Spain

Bilbao is Spain’s surfing capital, marrying large Atlantic rollers with Spanish sunshine.  The best waves of the year come in autumn and winter.  Mundaka, Spoelana and Zarautz are popular and offer consistently good breaks.

Rip Curl has a school on Areaga Beach in Bakio, site of several of Spain’s surf competitions.

If the north Atlantic waters of the Basque country are too cold, head south to Spain’s most southern territories, Grand Canarias and Lanzaroti.

France

The stretch of coastline between Bordeux and the Pyrenees is called The Aquitaine.  It offers 160 miles of superb Atlantic rollers.  Hossegor, in the southern reaches, is France’s surfing Mecca and home to the ASP Quicksilver Pro event.

Things to consider when you surf abroad:
•    Will your board suit the breaks you’ll be visiting?
•    If you’re hiring a car to search for secluded breaks, have you researched?
•    Does your travel insurance cover water sports? Many policies don’t.
Good etiquette when catching waves abroad
•    Don’t hustle, locals can be protective of their waves.
•    Remain on the shoulder of a wave until your turn comes.
•    Communicate with the surfers around you to prevent accidents.

If you’re a beginner look for uncrowded waves. This will give you room to make mistakes without endangering or annoying anyone else.

St Lucia is a perfect choice for visitors seeking that luxury holiday experience with a difference. St Lucia holidays can be as peaceful and relaxing you choose or provide challenges to experience in a safe and supportive environment.

Romantic breaks couple with opportunities for adventure and children are made very welcome with plenty of activities and fun for all. Many resorts offer special activities for children allowing parents a few quiet hours together

A stunning natural landscape means that those looking to explore will find different experiences almost around every corner. Explore the white beaches in the north before moving down the island, encountering a hinterland of jungle valleys filled with coconut and banana plantations and always the soaring volcanic mountain peaks remain in view. In the south there are black volcanic sands and everywhere there are small coastal villages and turquoise bays.

The tropical weather provides opportunities to soak up the sun, basking on a beach or on the veranda of a luxury holiday resort while enjoying a local cocktail, preparing for a long, leisurely meal with local specialities and gourmet international cuisine. Golfers have an excellent choice of courses and divers will find a paradise of mountains and caves under the water.

During spring, Florence is rife with markets and celebrations. At the end of April, the Mostra Internazionale dell’ Artigianato market features beautifully hand-crafted ceramics and dress jewellery for sale. On the second Sunday of every month, the Piazza Santo Spirito plays host to the Antique Fiorentino fair, where over 30 vendors gather to sell antique and vintage goods. The third Sunday of each month sees Farmer’s Markets selling all the Tuscan countryside has to offer.

April and the run up to Easter is a time of musical celebration in Florence. The week before Easter is World Sacred Music Week, when choirs and requiem masses take place in the majestic surroundings of the renaissance church Chiesa di Santo Stefano al Ponte. Located beside the river, this wonderful church is the perfect backdrop for the celebration of Mozart and Mediterranean religious music.

Florence’s commemoration of Easter is celebrated with parades and re-enactments; ten minutes from Florence, Roman centurions march down the streets of Grassina village on Good Friday while Easter Sunday sees the pagan Explosion of the Cart, ‘Scoppio del Carro’, taking place. After Easter Sunday Mass a holy flame, which takes the form of a representation of a sacred dove, ignites firecrackers.

Springtime in Florence is permeated with the fantastic perfumes and scents of newly blossoming flowers. The city parks and gardens are fantastically beautiful, in particular the Boboli Gardens, where the air is heavy with the scent of flowering camellias and the Bardini Gardens, where Renaissance statues and sculptures are dotted throughout.