Posts in ‘Relaxation & Romance’

Check out our favourite Venice gondola rides and plan a romantic vacation with your special someone!

The isango! team

If you’re a wine aficionado, take a look at our recently launched page outlining the various Hunter Valley wine tours available and get ready to taste some of Australia’s finest wines!

The isango! team

Feel like a beach vacation, but don’t want to spend all your time lounging in the sun? Check out our Algarve tours and you’ll realize that the southernmost region of Portugal has a lot to offer besides gorgeous beaches, including sea cave cruises, wine tours and jeep safaris!

The isango! team

Summer is finally here!  This means one thing…its time to hit the beach!  I know a vacation in the sun and sand sounds relaxing, yet this relaxation can soon turn to boredom.  This is why whenever I head to the beach for a break I try to find things to keep me busy.  The typical beach activities are always nice;  reading, swimming, sun bathing, and just simply strolling the beach.  Even with all the classic activities, I sill get jaded by the second day.  This is why I like to spend one day doing something a bit more stimulating.

The white sands of Longboat Key (Flickr by RTC1)

Florida Beaches

Having grown up in Florida, heading to the beach for a family vacation was always a yearly tradition.  Every Labor Day my family and I head to Longboat Key on the Gulf of Mexico.  Every year we look forward to lounging about in the sun, however it gets too hot to sunbath for hours on end.  So, one of our favorite things to do is collect seashells.  In Longboat Key there is a sand bar close to shore and every year we snorkel for sand dollars.  One year we found hundreds of dead sand dollars on the sand bar!  I enjoy shelling so much, that one time on a trip to Clearwater we actually took a tour that took us to an island to hunt for seashells.  It was a fun way to mix up the usual humdrum at the beach. continue reading

It’s raining outside, and we’re missing the California beaches! Spurred by a long discussion about deep-fried snickers and hot dogs at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, I’ve decided to investigate the UK’s beach scene (hey, we’re surrounded by miles and miles of coastline here too!). And, luckily, the UK turns out to have quite the selection of coastal spots for us sun-hungry Californians to choose from as the weather heats up this summer.

Blackpool's Pleasure Beach - Jon's Pics

It may not be Coney Island or the Boardwalk, but it looks pretty close! The Pleasure Beach Amusement Park in Blackpool, England features over 125 rides and attractions with some beautiful coastline views. And for you thrill seekers, twelve roller coasters, (woohoo!) including the one of the last “Wild Mouse” rides in operation, a neck-bending series of bunny hops and flat turns. Accessible via the Blackpool Hop-On-Hop-Off Tour, I can’t wait for an afternoon of sun and fun here (I just hope they have funnel cakes!) continue reading

Travellers looking for some relaxation and romance this year may be interested in visiting one of the hotels featured in Conde Nast Traveller’s 2009 Hot List - a run-down of the world’s most exciting new accommodation establishments.

Italy is known for being one of the world’s most romantic destinations and is home to the Borgo Santo Pietro, an eight-bedroom luxury retreat south-east of Siena.

The property boasts facilities including tennis courts, a pool, a gourmet restaurant and a spa within its 12-acre grounds.

Also located in the Tuscany region of Italy is Castiglion del Bosco in the Val d’Orcia, an exclusive resort that for the next few years will be opening up its luxury suites to visitors.

Travellers planning to head further afield may be tempted to sample the splendour on offer at establishments such as Atlantis The Palm in Dubai and the Southern Ocean Lodge in Australia, both of which featured in the 2009 Hot List.

Conde Nast Traveller also published a list recently of what it considers to be the world’s best beaches, which included Bondi Beach in Sydney and Ipanema in Rio de Janeiro.

Relaxation and Romance – Wining and Dining – Dine in some unforgettable settings including the Eiffel Tower and in the shadow of the New York skyline.