Gourmands and Bon vivants will love Aquitaine

Lot-et-Goronne


A lovely area of South-West France, including the southern part of the Dordogne region, the northern part of the Lot-et-Garonne department, and the Dropt Valley, together forming one of the most beautiful and unspoiled parts of France.

In the region you will find chateaux, including Bonaguil, Beynac and Biron; medieval towns, including Domme, Belves, Monpazier and Sarlat; caves, including those at Domme; unspoilt countryside, rivers and caves, beautiful gardens and small unspoilt villages - several classed as 'most beautiful villages in France'.

Much of the most beautiful rural architecture in France, or perhaps to be found anywhere, is to be seen here - ancient houses, barns, pigeonniers and churches simply form part of the unchanging landscape.


The Lot-et-Garonne’s orchard-blanketed hills are cared by the Garonne River. Boating in the Garonne Canal, Lot and Baise River is a popular way to see the countryside dotted with bestide towns. Monflanquin, perhaps one of the best examples of the bastide, is not to be missed.

The Water lily gardens and plant nursery at Latour-Marliac, a blissful alternative to Monet’s gardens at Fiverny, which are frequently crowded.




Accommodations in the Lot-et-Garonne:

Le Ralais de Roquefereau, sutuared just outside the historic village of Penne d'Agenai, restored a coachstop dating from the 13th century.

Outside Villereal, the Chateau du Rayet is a 17th century manor-turned-hotel.

Dordogne

a prehistoric cradle of civilization, is famous for its limestone caves painted with 14,000 year old friezes depicting ochre-colored animals. The cave paintings at the Grotte de Lascaus are praised as the "prehistoric Sistine Chapel." this is also chateau country, where fortified castle face off across the Dordogne River. One of the best way to see these clifftop chateaux is by canoe.

Must visit the Chateau des Milandes castle, www.milandes.com the former home of Joshphine Baker, now owned by Angelique de Saint-Exupery.

La Belle Etoile in lovely village of La Roque Gageac, rate at this family-run hotel start at under $80 per night.

Chateau des Boudry in Monestier, the rooms are price at $108 per night.

Luxury lodigings at Le Vieux Logis, in the town of Tremolate on the Dordogne River, whose family has owned the country residence for more than 450 years.

Suggest a wine tasting at the nearby Chateau Belingard, contact Laurent de Bosredon at contact@belingard.com to arrange private wine tastings.



Bordeaux and St. Emillion

Twenty three miles east of Bordeaux. the ancient town of St. Emillion bewitched vistors with its vineyards, cobblestone streets and cavernous underground church. Possible to visit 9th cnetury Eglise Monilithe, alone with the cave of the hermit saint for whom the village is named.

The palce to stay in St. Emillion is Le Relais de Franc Mayne, nestled in the heart of the vineyards of a grand wine estate called Chateau Franc Mayne. You can arrange tours of the winery and the vast network of underground caves where wine is aged in barrels.
The lounge and public areas are sumptuously appointed with rich fabrics and exxcntric design pieces, we particularly loved the upside-down charis on the wall, guest rooms is individually decorated in a different whimsical style, i.e., Pop Art Room, British Landscape, Campagne Francaise and African Lodge.

Bonding of Jamaica

This is, Perhaps, Jamaica's most well-known attraction.When you climb the falls, your guide will instruct you to hold the hand of the persons before and behind you, forming a chian or leverage.
Dunn's River Falls, is a living and growing phenomenon that continuously regenerates itself from deposits of travertine rock, the result of precipition of calcium carbonate from the river, as it flows over the falls.
In plain english, that means that is drop-dead gorgeois. The small dome-shaped cataracts are usually associated with thermal spring activity found in limestone cabes. This, combined with it proximity to the sea, fives Dunn's River the distinction of being the only natural attaction of its kind in the Caribbean.

Considered Jamaica's best marine attraction, Dolphin Cove has a natural cove aurrounded by 5 acres of tropical rainforest. In addition to swimming and playing with the dolphins, also can hold, feed, swim and learn about Cribbean sharks.
Admission allows families to captain their own mini boats and explore the coast, snorkel and itteract with stingrays, take a glass-bottom kayak ride, watch a Shark Show or view exotic birds, snakes and iguanas in the Jungle Trail Walk.

This property at Mystic Mountain in Ocho Rios, Considered the hottest attraction in Jamaica, has been collecting some awards in the Caribbean Lately. This more than 100 acre stretch of land and took part in its most popular excursion: the bobsled ride.

Custom designed bobsleds travel over stainless steel rails on a 1,000 meter gravity driven ride through the forest. Like any good roller coaster, it's absolutely terrifyling and 100 percent safe at the same time.

You can flip the cap backward to keep it from flying off druing the ride, grab the handle bars until the knuckles turn white and scream you lungsout as raced at about 100 miles per hour.

The Handle bars allow you to control the bobsled's speed. If you push them forward, you fly. If you push them back, you glide. Push those darn things as far forward as they would go, giving a temporar facelife.

Mystic Mountain also offers ziplining and a Sky Lift Expoloret that provides beautiful views from high above the trees.

Paris New Boutique Hotel--Keppler

In less than two years, Paris Hotel Keppler has become a popular destination for travelers in search of contemporary converience and classic style.

Desighned by Pierre Yves Rochon, the hotel's 34 rooms and five suites feature custom furniture, carpers and lightting and overlook the Champs-Elyseec and the Eiffel Tower.

A steam room, sauna and fitness center can unwinder after a day of touring, the hotel's glassroofed bar and windter garden provide a soothing atmposphere for conversation.

Greek Isle of Santorini Boutique Hotel

On the Greek isle of Santorini, Alexander's Boutique Hotel of Oia offers sun seekers there choice of three suites, four villas, five cave hourses or four apartments.

The Variety of accommondations allows for a range in prices, making this five star property available to all kind so travelers.

The cave houses are priced a little less then $200 per night during the low season (Noverber to March) while the Imperial Suite cost about $1,231.00 during the high season (June through September).

The hotel is locaed next to the Aegena Sea, the hotel's cliffside terrace offers views of the city or the ocean.

New Amsterdan Boutique Hotel

A Boutique hotel is nothign new, because in Euorpe, it's just a hotel.



In the Middle of Amsterdan, Hotel 717 feel like someone's hotem, and in fact, it once was. The eight rooms and suites were created from a 19th centrury townhouse alondside the city's canal, which seatves as a discrete retreat ideal for business travelers.

The rooms and suites range in size from the 430 square foot Mahler room to the 753 square foot Schubert Suite, and Feature such luxe amenities as Bang & Olufsen DVD Players.

Complimentary breakfase are served en suite. While 717 does not have its own restaurant or fitness center, it has arrangements with nearby establishments to provide these services. and meals and massages can be aranged en suite.

Island of Pines

In 1774, Captain Cook discovered New Caledonia and now it's my turn.

New Caledonia is idyllic and indulgent, primitive and sophisticated, tropical South Pacific and cosmopolitan European all in the one destination.

New Caledonia is an archipelago of contrasts, splendour and excitement. The 'Land of eternal spring' is blessed with a semi-tropical climate all year round.

However, New Caledonia is much more than a beautiful beach holiday, it's a whole new experience - a fascinating melting pot of thousand year old Kanak culture blended with Pacific, European and Asian lifestyles.

Just like Australia and its states, New Caledonia is divided into three provinces.
The Southern Province includes the cosmopolitan capital city of Nouméa and the spectacular Isle of Pines.

The Northern Province includes remote Melanesian villages and unspoilt ranges; and the Loyalty Islands Province includes three remote and pristine palm-fringed islands.

New Caledonia is the perfect destination for ecotourism and adventure holidays. One of the four richest areas on earth in terms of its biodiversity, home to the largest variety of endemic botanical species and one of the richest tropical forests in the world.

The diversity of landscapes is beyond imagination. Panoramic mountains and lush forests. Picturesque lakes and spectacular waterfalls. Bushland and wide open spaces reminiscent of Australia. Quaint Melanesian villages and old convict settlements. Swimming and diving in warm turquoise waters. Walking on the golden sands of long and deserted palm-fringed beaches.

New Caledonia

In the heart of the South Pacific lies a beautiful island surrounded by an emerald green lagoon.

New Caledonia is a land like no other, offering visitors an insight to a paradise of undeniable beauty and ecological treasures, all waiting to be discovered.

Where is New Caledonia?

New Caledonia is the third largest island in the Pacific Region after Papua New Guinea and New Zealand. It is located in southern Melanesia, at a latitude of 19° - 23° south and at a longitude of 158° - 172° east.The island is situated about 1,500 km from Australia, 1,700 km from New Zealand, 5,000 km from Tahiti, 7,000 km from Japan, 10,000 km from the West Coast of the USA and 20,000 km from France.

The Mainland

The mainland is where most people live, and which is the richest area of New Caledonia, is divided lengthwise by a range of mountains (Chaîne Centrale), the highest points of which are "Mount Panié" in the north (1,629 m) and "Mount Humboldt" in the south (1,618 m). Various species of trees can be found in these mountains.This unusual relief, very much like a backbone, divides the Mainland into 2 very different areas:
The East Coast, humid and open to the trade winds is a fertile, exotic land with lush tropical vegetation, green valleys, beautiful waterfalls, rivers, … and authentic Melanesian huts along the roads.

The West Coast, a drier, temperate zone. There are fewer coconut trees but "niaouli" trees grow by the thousands and the endemic wildlife is rich. It is "cattle country," shaped by people who live at the pace of their cattle. There is an abundance of beautiful beaches too.

Unlike its volcanic neighbors, New Caledonia is a fragment of an ancient continent which drifted away some 250 million years ago. Its flora and fauna evolved in isolation, and are now quite unique: 3500 recorded species of plants, three quarters of which occur only here; 4300 species of land animals, 1000 species of fish, 6500 species of marine invertebrates.

Five hundred kilometers long, fifty kilometers wide, New Caledonia offers an endless variety of landscapes, from some of the best white sand beaches in the Pacific to spectacular mountain retreats.

Surrounded by a 1,600 km long coral reef, New Caledonia also boasts the largest lagoon in the world. The reef can be as close as a few kilometers from the coast in some places and as far as 65 km in others - with an average depth of 40 m.

The Territory of New Caledonia consists of the Mainland, the Isle of Pines to the south of the Mainland, the Loyalty Islands to the east of the Mainland (Maré, Lifou, Tiga and Ouvéa), the Belep Archipelago in the north west and numerous islands and islets: Huon & Surprise, Chesterfield, Walpole, Beautemps-Beaupré, Astrolabe, and the Bellona reef, … a total surface of 19,000 sq km (16,372 sq km for the Mainland alone, which is 400 km long).