What To Do On A Getaway To Sligo, Ireland

February 15, 2012

Peaceful Sligo, Ireland is a great place to treat yourself to a relaxing getaway. Here are some ideas of what to do on your vacation.

Sligo, Ireland is a tranquil town in the beautifully scenic Northwest Ireland and Lakelands area. It began as a small coastal village, and in recent times it has developed a great deal of excellent shopping, entertainment and restaurants. For a weekend getaway, it is the perfect mix of beautiful natural surroundings, welcoming small town atmosphere, and quality attractions.

Sligo is set within the stunning vistas of the Ox Mountains to the south, the Dartry Mountains to the north, and Sligo Bay to the west. It can also be a great base for nature lovers to explore the west and northwest Atlantic coast of Ireland.

If you are thinking of escaping to this beautiful part of Ireland for a break, here are some ideas of what to enjoy during your stay:

  • Explore some ancient ruins. Sligo has been a significant settlement since the Early Neolithic period, which means that there are numerous ancient sites to discover. Head to nearby Carrowmore, only 8km away, to see some impressive megalithic tombs which were part of sacred prehistoric rituals.
  • View the Sligo Abbey. This religious place of worship was built in 1253, and destroyed by a fire in 1414. It was rebuilt again, but burned once more in 1642. Now only the choir, the carved altar, and the cloisters remain. This is a very interesting local historical attraction.
  • Pay your respects at the Famine Memorial. These sculptures were designed as a tribute to those who died during the Irish Potato Famine from 1845-1849. During that time, over 30,000 people emigrated through Sligo.
  • Watch a Sligo Rovers football game. This team, founded in 1928, play in the Premier Division of the League of Ireland. If you are visiting between March and November you can watch a match, which is always a fun experience and a chance to soak up the local atmosphere.
  • Get pampered at Solas Spa. You can make the most of your relaxing Sligo getaway by booking a treatment at this elegant Spa and Wellness Centre at the Radisson Blu Hotel and Spa. They have many different beauty treatments, massages, and other indulgent experiences.
  • Learn to kite surf! Ready for some excitement? While you are in Sligo you can learn the exciting sport of kite surfing at the only kite surfing school in the North West.
  • Enjoy a refreshing pint at an Irish pub. Jump right in to the friendly atmosphere at your local Sligo pub and soon you will be sitting around a table, sharing stories with the locals. Try Fiddler’s Creek which is very lively on the weekends and features live bands and a DJ. Another great place is McLynn’s, which is a quintessential Irish bar with music, an old-style setting, and seriously delicious pints of Guinness.

One of the most luxurious options for accommodation in Sligo is the Radisson Blu Hotel and Spa, located in the countryside of Rosses Point. This tranquil haven is surrounded by the same gorgeous scenery that was a muse for the poet W.B. Yeats and is sure to inspire you as well.

Enjoy your getaway in beautiful Sligo, Ireland!

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Safety Tips For Visiting Cairo

January 26, 2012

A deeply historical and yet excitingly modern city, Cairo is a gateway into all of the fascinating wonders of ancient and contemporary Egypt, easily accessible via flights to Egypt, including direct routes to Cairo. This popular tourist destination is a generally safe city with a low crime rate, but there are a few things that travellers should know before they visit in order to stay safe:

  • There are not a lot of violent crimes in Cairo, but watch out for purse-snatchers in crowded touristic areas.
  • People might approach you on the street and invite you to come shopping with them in places that you don’t know. They are trying to con you, so beware.
  • If you are a woman travelling alone you can expect to receive a bit of attention and catcalling from the local males. It usually doesn’t go any further than this, but make sure that you are not wearing overly provocative clothing or walking around along late at night.
  • If you are lost in Cairo, look for a police officer or a security officer who will be able to help you find your way.
  • Crossing streets can be extremely dangerous in Cairo, as there are very few traffic lights and the ones that do exist are ignored anyway. You might see a police officer attempting to control traffic at a key intersection during busy hours. The safest way to cross a busy and chaotic street is to watch a local Egyptian who seems to know what they are doing and stay next to them as they dodge through traffic.
  • Taxi drivers in Cairo can drive very dangerously, speeding and weaving through traffic. Don’t be afraid to tell the driver to slow down and stop if you feel unsafe.
  • As in most destinations in Egypt, beware of what you eat to avoid suffering from an upset stomach. Raw vegetables, creamy salad dressings and minced meat are very likely to cause food poisoning. When eating from a buffet, avoid the foods which have been sitting out at room temperature such as cold salads and puddings. When you are eating fruit, choose ones with a thick skin that you can peel.
  • If you become sick from eating the food in Cairo, you can purchase medication from the local pharmacy. However, if you experience vomiting and diarrhoea for an extended period of time you should visit a doctor because you will become at risk of severe dehydration in the high heat.
  • It is a good idea to stick to drinking bottled water while you are in Cairo, and avoid taking ice in your drinks.
  • The sun in Egypt can be very strong and harsh, so make sure that you wear sunscreen at all times to avoid your trip being ruined by painful sunburn.

Remember these trips and you will have a safe and enjoyable holiday to fascinating Cairo!

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What to see & do in Abu Dhabi

October 31, 2011

Wriggle your bare toes in the world’s largest hand-knotted Persian carpet (it’s worth £5 million), inside the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. This fairytale monument to Islam has 82 marble domes, 1,192 columns studded with semi-precious stones, four minarets dipped in real gold, and the world’s largest chandelier. (Be aware that female visits are heavily policed for errant flashes of ankle.)

This artiticle was written to exand on the short guide of things to do in Abu Dhabi on the Etihad website.  Etihad Airways use Abu Dhabi Airport as there hub operating scheduled international flights around the world.  Recent destinations include the Seychelles and a new convenient flights to the Maldives

A huge red building styled like a racing car is bound to stand out – even on super-futuristic Yas Island, an outcrop of theme parks in the city’s northeast. Ferrari World is a petrolhead’s paradise, with a 240kpm rollercoaster ride that simulates Grand Prix G-forces. Find out more about this years Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

Historically, falcons killed on the orders of their masters, the nomadic Arabs of the Middle East. The Abu Dhabi Falcon Hospital (www.falconhospital.com; tours Sun-Thur at 10am and 2pm; £29) diagnoses and treats at least 3,000 of these desert predators every year. Those fearless of sharp talons can hold the birds – on gloved hands.

The vast, palm-trimmed Manarat Al Saadiyat Centre is home to three art galleries showing big-name exhibitions, from Picasso to ‘The Arts of Islam’. But this is just the tip of the iceberg. The astonishing Cultural District emerging on the beachfront down the road (www.artsabudhabi.ae/en) will include The Guggenheim Abu Dhabi (opens 2012), followed by the first Louvre outside Paris, and the Performing Arts Centre – a sinuous structure with windows shaped like leaves.

Kick up the dust on the F1 Marina Circuit behind the wheel of an Aston Martin GT4. If you’d prefer someone else to take your life in their hands, ride shotgun in a two-seater F1 racing car. The Yas Racing School (www.yasmarinacircuit.ae) can do both, but even in this well-supplied neck of the woods, petrol ain’t cheap: 75 minutes’ tuition in an Aston Martin costs £251; a three-lap passenger ride in an F1 car comes in at £1,910.

The Persian Gulf isn’t short of pretty fish (keep eyes peeled for a pearl oyster). If you fancy doing a 007-style backwards roll off the side of a dive boat, Al Masaood Travel will assist (www.almasaoodtravel.com/scuba; from £49; equipment hire from £24).

Get away from the glitz on a back-to-basics desert safari. Start with an exhilarating blast over the dunes in a 4WD at sunset, followed by camel photo ops and a visit to a Bedouin camp for a barbecue dinner, shisha-smoking and belly-dancing under a star-spangled sky. Emirates Adventures (www.eatours.ae) has half-day desert tours from £48pp.

Tee off in the spike marks of former world number-one golfer Lee Westwood, at Yas Links golf course (www.yaslinks.com; green fee from £66 for 18 holes). Opened in 2010, it’s already reputed to be one of the best courses in the Middle East, with no intrusive real estate to mar the sigh-inducing sea views. Alternatively, play pre-irrigation-era-style on the sand course at Al Ghazal (www.alghazalgolf.ae; green fee from £20) – you putt on ‘blacks’, made of compact sand and oil.

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