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How to Better Enjoy Surfing and Sports in Melbourne

2008-11-24
Escape from S.B. - Melbourne

Escape from S.B. - Melbourne

Melbourne, the second largest city in Australia, is a city that is full of culture and plenty to do. Amongst the things to do are surfing and sports. These are two of the most popular things to do when in Melbourne. There is nothing like going to a live match. You can check out the Australian Tennis Open at the Rod Laver Arena, Australian Football League matches, cricket matches at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, and so much more.

In regards to surfing, you can check out the beaches of Melbourne and watch individuals who have surfed for a long time impress you. Maybe you’re a surfer yourself and you’re looking to catch some waves with the local. Then again, maybe you’re someone wanting to learn how.

Accommodations

The accommodation options in Melbourne seem endless. If you’re looking to enjoy one of the sporting events, you can find a hotel near the arena you will be watching your favorite sporting event in. Or if you are a surfer, you may want to find yourself a hotel on the beach. Find a nice oceanfront room so you can watch the surfers conquer the waves and wipe out. Fortunately, you can find hotels with those rates that are more comfortable for you. There are those that are luxurious and those that are considered backpacker hotels because they are more affordable. The perfect hotel in Melbourne is out there for you. You just have to find it. The best way to do that is to look online. Since most tourists do not live on the continent, it is easier to check out the Internet and see what is out there. You’ll be glad when you’re there having a great time in the surf or cheering on your favorite Australian sports team after sleeping in a spectacular hotel.

Kite Surfing

Kite Surfing

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How to Get the Most out of Shopping in Milan

2008-11-17
Milan Train Station at Midnight

Milan Train Station at Midnight

Milan is a great place for shopping because it is home to a lot of designer stores. Individuals are able to buy merchandise from Armani, Dolce, Etro, Ferragamo, Gucci, and so much more. You can even indulge yourself in some merchandise at Prada outlets. You literally get the best of the best when shopping in Milan. As a matter of fact, stars from Hollywood find their clothes, shoes, and accessories while shopping in Milan.

So if you plan on shopping in Milan, it is a good idea that you find lodging close to the major shopping areas. Why do you want to do this? Well, the locations of all of these popular shops are very busy and you want to make sure you have total access. This may mean finding a hotel close by so that you can travel on foot instead of worrying about a parking area. Even if you don’t travel by car or wish to walk, you can use public transit. It depends on if you’re planning on spending most of your time in other areas of Milan, but if you’re going to spend a lot of time shopping, then you need a hotel close.

Being that there are around 461 hotels in Milan, finding one is not hard. It is just finding one in your price range that will allow you to get the most out of your shopping experience. There are various hotels within various price ranges. You can choose from five star hotels and lower, depending on what you can spend. When they’re close, they take the headache out of shopping. That is what makes a shopping experience in Milan even better than the stores themselves. You can relax and have a good time like you deserve to have and also enjoy the great city scenery.

Dark Duomo

Dark Duomo

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Is Google Helping Online Travel?

2008-11-12

After watching this informative session on The Business of Online Travel I thought about Google and how they were helping us. In the video they talk about search engine optimization (SEO) and the fact it is not in the best interest of the user. They are perfectly right and it annoys me that if we do some change that are good for the user, we will hide content from the search engines and it will hurt us.

Sadly, it doesn’t stop there, there are still ways to fool search engines. This week I still found a site with Invisible links for user, but very visible to search engine. This is the worst kind of SEO, misleading the search engine to lead users to an irrelevant website.

Also there are still something bugging me with the results we get in the top ten. You almost always get links to exactly what you wanted in the top ten. That is great, but lets look at the rest of the 10. For exemple if I look for “walking directions” I get some(about half) reference to Google adding the walking directions to Google maps which is good. We can think that was the result I was looking for, but I don’t even get one direct link to Google Maps… Also I get results for walking directions in London, but when I go on the site, nothing only publicity. I also get a site with seo in the name, it’s certainly what I was looking for, obviously an SEO agency is what I need to get good walking directions.I bet there are at least 10 great site for finding predefined walking tours or to make your own like Google Maps. Why aren’t they listed?

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Walking Tours in Madrid

2008-11-10

Are you planning on visiting Madrid? Or maybe you have been trying to figure out what vacation spot would suit you. If so, get yourself a hotel in Madrid and enjoy the walking tours that show you the most beautiful historical sites in the city. Just make sure that when you get your hotel you get it close to those historical sites that you want to see. Being that you’re going to embark upon walking tours, you don’t want to stay in a hotel that is too far from where the good stuff is. You also want to eliminate as much driving as possible because the traffic can be a bit tricky. Just imagine being able to leave your hotel on foot and stay on foot while also getting to enjoy the sights and the sounds of this magnificent city.

Here are some things that you need to see when on your walking tours:

  • The Royal Palace –You can walk around the palace with a guide and see everything that it has to offer you. You’ll learn a lot about the Spanish Kingdom and its history.

  • The Museo Del Prado – It is amongst the most important museums in the world because it houses works from such artists as El Bosco, Goya, Velasquez, and so many more.

  • The Parque Del Buen Retiro – You may just want to sit around the lake. This is also the perfect place to get a hotel near. Staying near the park is refreshing for many because you can have that morning jog or walk. This is also the home of the famous Fallen Angel statue.

These are just a few of the places to see, but they are absolutely wonderful and will make you want to see more and more, which you probably will.

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Maps are Great, but Text is Good Too

2008-11-07

We continually work at improving our site. While we love the map, we thought adding a welcome page for users that were intimidated by the map was a good idea. You can enter the location to show or simply click on one of the twenty most popular destinations.

We also decided to add more information about cities your are looking at. For now only New York City has this information, but we plan to add more and make it more interactive with time. The information we present is composed of top 5 links in different categories. We will add and update those links based on user comments.

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Finding a Hotel with that Perfect View in Rome

2008-11-03

Burning Rome

Burning Rome

When visiting Rome, it is only right that you find a hotel that has that perfect view of the Coliseum or the Pantheon. Those are two of the most popular spots in Rome, countless other views are also worth pursuing in Rome. It is like when going to the beach you want an oceanfront room because the ocean is the attraction. You shouldn’t expect anything less when visiting Rome.

View of the Coliseum

Having a view of the Coliseum while in Rome can be quite the treat. It is just a matter of finding the right hotel that will let you have that view. There are hotels that are as close as 500 metres from the Coliseum, 100 metres from Metro Cavour for easy traveling, the 20 minutes away from the EUR business district, and only 300 metres from the Air Terminal and the Termini Railway Station. Hotels in this general area put you in the heart of the city, making the city easy to explore.

View of the Pantheon

If you want a hotel that is right in front of the Pantheon, that is available for you as well. Basically, you want to stay somewhere that is going to put you close to the Pantheon and allow you to explore everything else that Rome has to offer. With the right hotel, you can find yourself within walking distance of Piazza Navona, Spanish Steps, and Trevi Foundation.

It’s all about location

So when visiting Rome, you want to make sure you find a hotel in the right location that meets all of your needs. This includes any amenities that are important to you and anything in regards to location. Being in the right location is what is going to make or break your vacation. It also makes for wonderful memories.

The Pantheon

The Pantheon

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More Pictures

2008-10-31

We have been providing pictures for hotels from 2 sources for some times now. First the official pictures we have from the hotels itself and then pictures related to that hotel from flickr.com. This was all very good and we thought the user pictures were adding real value to the hotel information.

Then we realized, why stop there? We already show numerous landmarks to help people see what will be close to their hotel. Our landmarks were pretty minimal, just a marker and a name. So we added flickr pictures for the landmarks too. Now you can see the landmarks from many perspectives.

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Feature Announcement for See Your Hotel

2008-10-29

Up until now I didn’t use the blog to keep you up to date on the features of the site. We think this was an error. So from now on I’ll try to keep you informed about what’s new with See Your Hotel.

Let’s start by what we added today. Recently we were approved to use TripAdvisor reviews directly on our site, so here they are. Now when you go to the tab review in a hotel information window, you will see the average rating from TripAdvisor and can read some reviews and even write one if you want.

It’s a nice addition and is more pleasing than the review search results that we were presenting before. Also, since we were not doing announcement before here is one long overdue.

We have other ways to access our hotel information, so you can search for hotels on a map, even when you are not on our site. A Google Gadget, that you can use in your iGoogle page. This gadget is a nice way to get quick access to hotel information from your iGoogle page. Since it is a Gadget, you can also embed it into web pages of your making, This will give more functionalities to your visitors quickly and easily.

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How useful is the Tube in London?

2008-10-27
The Eye - London

The Eye - London

The tube in London is that method of transportation that is seriously unlike the rest. Not only does it help a person travel from one destination to another, but it is a place in which much entertainment occurs. First of all, you are able to sit and watch people interact with each other, but it is difficult to watch these people for long periods of time because traveling by tube is very quick. You can make it to your destination in no time.

Take this into consideration: The public transport system within London is amongst the best in the world, so when visiting you have to travel via the tube. This allows fast access to the heart of the city without worrying about having to battle the traffic or getting lost. Traveling by tube is very easy. That is why you may want to consider getting a hotel near a London Underground station.

By getting a hotel near a tube station, you can quickly and easily gain access to everything the city has to offer. As a matter of fact, the tube is one of the best ways to tour London. This makes it very useful in so many ways. People are using it to tour, others use it to get to work, and then there are those who use it to take care of their day-to-day business. Everyone traveling the tube has their own story as to why they are there. That is why you need to stay close to one. That way you can take it everyday and rely on it to take you to your destination without a hitch. You can avoid a lot of frustration this way and, by staying in a hotel close by, you can eliminate even more confusion and aggravation by not having to worry about traffic.

Tower Bridge at dusk

Tower Bridge at dusk

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Exploring the Culture in Sydney

2008-10-20
Sydney Opera House at Night

Sydney Opera House at Night

Sydney, Australia has a lot going for it in regards to culture and overall fun. This is because there are such things as the New Year’s fireworks that contribute to a harbor setting that is out of this world. This is just one of the things that make it one of the most attractive cities in the world, which also makes it a very popular travel destination. So if you’re just looking to escape to warmer weather in the winter or you just want a spectacular place to go on holidays, Sydney is your best bet. There is a lot in regards to entertainment, art, and sports that you just can’t find in other places around the world.

Being that Sydney is Australia’s largest city, it offers a wide range of cultural attractions. The iconic landmarks such as the Sydney Harbor Bridge and the Sydney Opera House are amongst the most popular. There’s also the Sydney Tower, which stands at 305 meters high with an observation deck that allows you to see the entire city.

There is also that artist tradition that can’t be overlooked. Some of the best artistic companies in Australia come from Sydney. There’s the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, the Sydney Theater Company, and the Sydney Dance Company. While you’re visiting, make sure you don’t miss the Sydney Festival, which consist of 50 events that are free and the genres that are covered are many. You can experience music, dance, circus events, and so much more.

So make sure when traveling to Sydney that you check out everything you possibly can. If you go around the time of the Sydney Festival, you want to give yourself some more time so that you can enjoy the festival and the many other activities that Sydney has to offer.