Cruise Nation are offering you the chance to set sail on the Mediterranean onboard brand new Costa Fascinosa. PLUS you get to enjoy two nights in Venice for FREE! Prices start from £479 for this nine night trip, which includes flights and seven nights cruising. Even better – you can upgrade to an outside stateroom for only £100 more!

The Fascinosa literally sparkles, exuding all the star power of the old Hollywood films where glamour and style are key features. She was inaugurated on 5th May 2012 so not many people have had a chance to experience this yet!

You’ll find plenty to do onboard, with shimmering dancefloors, a la carte restaurants, chic bars and a huge theatre with nightly performances. You’ll be wowed by the 4D cinema as well as the virtual reality area, and sports fans won’t want to miss the Grand Prix and golf simulators. On the top deck, there’s also a waterpark, hot tubs and a big screen which will show films after sundown.

After flying to Venice, you’ll take in some of the delights of the Eastern Mediterranean. From the port of Katakolon head to Olympia, where the Olympic torch was recently lit, explore the stunning island of Santorini, and stroll the beautiful streets of Dubrovnik. Gorgeous Bari and the popular island of Rhodes are also along the way.

And then once you return to Venice you get to stay for two nights for FREE! There are so many iconic things to do here – explore the Doge’s Palace, climb St Mark’s Campanile, take a gondonla ride, drink a Bellini at Harry’s Bar – it will be hard to choose!

Like the look of this deal? Click here to read more. Alternatively, check out all of our Real Deals to see what we’re loving this week.

All images from the Cruise Nation website

The Card

A two day pass in Paris costs €115 for adults (teen cards cost €61 and children’s cards are €34). Be aware that even if you use your pass for part of a day, that counts as one of the days, so be sure to begin in the morning to make the most of your savings. Prices in other cities can vary a lot – a Barcelona City Pass costs just €27 for two days, but you don’t get anything free, just discounted.

Day One

The city pass gets you free travel on all the public transport, so no matter how far from the centre your hotel is, you can hop on the RER or the metro and be in the centre in no time. Once there, you can use the hop-on-hop off city tour buses to get around so you can see the sights on the way.

The Louvre by pululante

Let’s start off at the Louvre, one of the most iconic museums in Paris. If you want to make the most of your pass, there’s not time to explore it all (actually, 48 hours probably isn’t enough to explore it all), just be sure to see the Mona Lisa! I’d also recommend the Napoleonic Apartments for their outlandish décor.

Sainte Chapelle by inoc

You’ll definitely be in need of lunch, which is where your discount book can come in handy, and after that it’s off to the stunning Sainte-Chapelle on the Ile de Cite. Look out for the Passion relics and the amazing medieval stained glass windows. The nearby Notre Dame is better known, so head there next. Take the tower tour for the full Quasimodo experience and see the great views.

Arc de Triomphe by wlappe

Continue with a River Cruise, then enjoy dinner and perhaps take a walk up the Arc de Triomphe to finish!

Savings: Metro €9.75 Tour Bus €26 Louvre €10 Sainte-Chapelle €8.50 Notre Dame Tower €8.50 Boat Tour €26 Arc de Triomphe €9.50

Total: €98.25

Day Two

Montparnasse Tower by Jim Linwood

The free metro pass comes in handy again, with another trip to the centre. Begin your second day at the Musee d’Orsay, which is my favourite museum in Paris – head directly to the Impressionist rooms to see some of the genre’s most iconic paintings. Skip the statues though, Paris is full of statues! Then it’s over to the Montparnasse Tower for a stunning 56 floor high view of this beautiful city.

Centre Pompidou by summer park

Lunch over, the Centre Pompidou is next on the agenda, with its inside-out architecture and modern art. Look out for street performers here, it’s where the best in the city ply their trade. Then head to the Opera House for a tour, complete with its underground lake, the inspiration for the Phantom of the Opera. You can’t miss out on a walk (or even better, take the funicular for free with your pass) up to Montmartre for the view from the Sacre Coeur steps – there are nightly parties as the sun sets.

View from Sacre Coeur by edwin.11

Dinner could perhaps be combined with a wine tasting experience. After all, it would be wrong to go all the way to Paris without sampling some of the best that the city has to offer! And you’ll probably need to head to bed after that…

Savings: Metro €9.75 Musee d’Orsay €9 Montparnasse Tower €8 Centre Pompidou €12 Opera House €12 Wine Tasting €30

Total: €80.75

Grand Total: €179 – that’s a saving of €64!

Verdict: Great value BUT not for every day!

That’s a tidy saving and we do think that city passes are great value for money. However, although this itinerary is achievable, it certainly doesn’t leave much time for wandering the streets, shopping, drinking coffee at street cafes or browsing the book stalls along the left bank! We’d recommend doing something like getting a two day pass for a four day holiday so you can have a couple of days seeing all the big sights and saving yourself a good chunk of cash, and a couple of days enjoying the atmosphere!

Speaking of savings, use our city breaks tool to find a great deal on your next adventure!

Mud, mud, glorious mud!

Also, I would suggest taking your own beverages. For a break which had been pretty good value for money throughout the whole weekend, the drinks (both non-alcoholic and alcoholic) in the bar were very expensive and similar to prices you pay in London.

Ideally, if the sun was shining we would have been out enjoying the surrounding area (including the shingle beach) and sitting out in the warmth with friends and a barbecue. Unfortunately, the weather got in the way but our weekend wasn’t ruined by enjoying some traditional British family entertainment without spending a fortune.

Images by Mark Attwell

Women’s Beach Volleyball

Unluckily for the guys who were so happy that they bagged tickets for this popular event – which will be held on the historic Horseguards – the news has come through that the ladies can now choose to wear something other than a bikini. Shorts and t-shirts will surely make for a more comfortable competition, especially if the summer doesn’t pick up, but we do know how much the dealchecker guys were looking forward to the bikini-clad stars.

Commemorative Oyster Card

If you want to have a little bit of history in your pocket, and be a canny London traveller, then you need to get your mitts on one of the Olympic Oyster cards. For those of you not in the know, the Oyster system gives you reduced prices on London transport and means you don’t have to faff for spare change all the time – just add money at tube stations or newsagents and off you go!

Cycling Excites

The cycling qualification was super-exciting with Vicky Pendleton just scraping through but Chris Hoy missing out. Sometimes it seems like they all just cycle around aimlessly before commencing a mad sprint, but we like it all the same!

Windsurfing is Out

It looks like London 2012 could be the last time we see windsurfing at the Olympics, as Rio have announced they want to swap it for kiteboarding. This high adrenaline sport sees competitors being launched high into the air and performing dizzying tricks whilst strapped to a board, all with the help of a kite! It’s becoming increasingly popular across the UK so watch out when you head to the beach!

One Vision

Queen songs seem a popular choice for the Olympics, and Team GB have announced an official single – One Vision. It’s performed by Kimberley Walsh of Girls Aloud and tenor Alfie Boe, so get singing in aid of Team GB!

Leu Gardens

Ricymar Fine Art Photography

Quieten things down with a trip to Leu Gardens, set just outside downtown Orlando. The 50-acre site contains a dizzying variety of plants. Yup that’s right, dizzying. There are bamboo groves, a banana plant collection, a floral clock, a wetland garden, display of vines and tropical fruit. Need I go on? The garden is best known for the collection of camellias – the garden’s origins lie in the travels of Mr. and Mrs. Harry P. Leu who brought back 240 varieties from their wanderings.

Website

Florida Citrus Tower

This attraction harks back to an earlier time in Florida’s history. Built in 1956, it was once the most visited attraction in the Orlando area, when the view from the top was miles and miles citrus groves. Nowadays the view from the tower includes housing developments and shopping centres but don’t let this put you off. The Florida Citrus Tower is still the tallest observation point in all of Florida, and a striking landmark.

Website

Blue Springs

systemslibrarian

Get away from it all at the Blue Spring State Park, which is a designated haven for manatees. It’s all about enjoying the fresh air, and fresh water here, with hiking trails, picnic areas, boat tours, canoeing and kayaking and even swimming, tubing and scuba diving in the clear and warm spring! Acres of space without a queue in sight, and all the attractions are made from nature. You’ll have to make your own fun, but it’ll be worth it!

Website

The Holy Land Experience

Now I’m not trying to say that most theme parks are shallow, but I’ve not come across one that promotes the word of God before. Instead of the usual stomach-churning rides you get re-enactments of the Last Supper, the chance to browse the stalls of Ancient Jerusalem and inspirational water shows. And if that’s not enough, there’s even a hedge that is the representation of the Gospel quote ‘He Is Risen’.

Website

Ringling Museum of Art

ZJemptv

After spending plenty of time immersed in all things Disney, you may think you’ve been transported to the Beast’s mansion here with more quirky furniture than you can shake a stick at! Be our guest? Yes please! And there’s more – wander the art collection with everything from Titian to Ruebens and a replica of Michaelangelo’s David, check out the circus museum, catch a show in the 18th century European Theatre (yes, moved all the way to Florida) or get lost in the amazing gardens. You’ll be wondering if they do a week pass here too!

Website

Tempted by all this quirkiness? Or still just think that Universal Studios and Disney are where it’s at? Get booking your flights or holiday here!

This deal is all thanks to Alpine Elements, who specialise in all sorts of adrenaline holidays, and they are making sure that there will be senior instructors onsite, all with the pedigree of belonging to the Royal Yachting Association, so you can be sure they know their stuff. Best of all, this holiday comes with an all inclusive watersports package so you won’t pay any extra!

Choose from learning to drive a speedboat, heading out on ocean kayaks, paddle boards, and sailing dinghies, or get your mitts on windsurfing equipment. You can even have a go on the slightly cryptic fun boats! Plus when you get back on dry land you can use their top quality mountain bikes for free as well!

It all sounds so exciting, and if you think so too, get your skates on to save! If you can travel on 13th May you’ll get seven night bed and breakfast from £319 per person! Or prices for the next couple of weeks are from £359 for 20th May departure and from £383 for 27th May. Click here for more details.

If this all sounds like too much hard work, I can’t help but also be tempted by seven nights all inclusive in Tobago from only £588 with Golden Holidays, definitely great for lazing around on the beach. Or check out the rest of our Real Deals to find your own perfect fit.

All images courtesy of the Alpine Elements website.

Valparaiso, Chile

Image © ferretcloud – Fotolia.com

This Chilean coastal town, about a two-hour drive from the capital Santiago, is known for the colourful steep streets that surround a natural bay. There’s plenty of street art to see as well as the bright houses, and for an extra dose of culture visit Chilean poet Pablo Neruda’s house.

Copenhagen, Denmark

Image © Scanrail – Fotolia.com

A wander around Copenhagen’s harbour will brighten any day with its vivid coloured 17th and 18th century townhouses and wooden ships.

Sidi Bou Said, Tunisia

Image © photlook – Fotolia.com

Combine bright sunshine with a brilliant white and blue village and you’re imagining Sidi Bou Said – one of the most visited villages in Tunisia.

Juzcar, Spain

Image by manuelfloresv

The Town of Juzcar just outside of Malaga was painted completely blue when it was used as the venue of the premier of the film “The Smurfs 3D”. Afterward the villagers voted to keep the buildings blue because it was such a boost to tourism. Juscar is one of the easiest villages to get to on this list and flights to Malaga are usually pretty cheap.

Isle of Mull, Scotland

Image by low cloud

This colourful shot is of Tobermory Harbour on Scotland’s Isle of Mull. It’s better known to watchers of children’s TV as the setting for Balamory!

Olinda, Brazil

Image © paulowilliams – Fotolia.com

There are many many MANY colourful Caribbean colonial towns worthy of a mention on this list, but I’m going to plump for Olinda which really lives up to it’s name (Olinda means the beautiful in Portuguese) with it’s tropical setting – and becomes even more colourful when carnival comes to town.

Cork, Ireland

Image © poseidon1999 – Fotolia.com

Colourful streets and plenty of pubs characterise Cork – check it out for yourself as there are plenty of direct flights to Cork from all over the UK.

Jaipur, India

Image by michaelwhays

A list of colourful cities wouldn’t be complete without India’s pink city, Jaipur. Once the capital of royalty, Jaipur’s magnificent architecture mixes in with the bustling Indian metropolis which today is the capital city of Rajasthan.

Any others you want to see?

Top image – Valparaiso – © Pierre-Yves Babelon – Fotolia.com

We were staying in a highly rated (by trip advisor, and now also by me) Pensione Marie Luisa in Positano. Getting there was interesting to say the least.

Secluded Fornillo beach, Positano

When I first started going on holidays around Europe, I was very much into the ease of package holidays – especially for places like Italy and Greece where I don’t really speak the language.  I used to be worried about getting around and nervous that transfers could be a nightmare. These days however I find it a lot more fun to turn up in places (having obviously, as an IT nerd, done copious amounts of research beforehand on the net) – then try and make my own way without any reps trying to sell me overpriced tours and “all you can drink for a tenner” nights.

This was certainly the case for this trip, where we flew on easyJet to Naples, then pitted ourselves against Italian public transport to make our way to Positano. Our veritable public transport oddessy included a bus from the airport to Naples station, a local circumvesuviana train to Sorrento and finally another bus to Positano.

We witnessed one of the most amazing displays of public transport insanity at Sorrento when, for some reason, all the Italians on the platform decided it would be a really good idea to clamber onto an already packed train without letting anyone off first. This would have been expected except Sorrento is the end of the line and everyone on the train had wanted to get off. You can probably imagine the chaos, one woman was lucky to keep hold of her pushchair and baby in the melee!

So we decided public transport was a false economy. At 14 Euro per person it was much cheaper than getting a taxi but we were still pleased when Carlo, the owner of our pensione, hooked us up with a ride back to Naples airport. For a one-hour simple car ride (vs the two and a half hours we spent messing about on public transport on the way out) 80 Euro (40 each) seemed a small price to pay.

Talking of transport I wouldn’t recommend driving yourself (and certainly not in high season). The coastal road that runs from Sorrento to Amalfi and is pretty precarious; clinging to the side of the mountains with some fairly interesting hairpin bends which sensible drivers would say aren’t wide enough for more than one vehicle at a time.

Positano Beach

Positano itself is located on the Amalfi coast, which if you have never been is a sight  to behold, lots of stunning pastel coloured  villages caught between the cliffs and the sea. The houses are pretty much dug into the cliff side – meaning nearly all the accommodation in the area will offer a sea view.

Positano isn’t your typical white sand beach destination – although I imagine the two (shingle) beaches get pretty busy in nice weather (since it rained for three of the six days we were there I can’t confirm this).

Cheap, it ain’t! Positano is a fairly exclusive resort where Italy’s rich list mingles with Australian and American backpackers eager to enjoy the legendary scenery. It’s also the jumping off point for the boats out to the even more exclusive isle of Capri, a trip we had to miss out of on account of the less than ideal weather.

I can confirm that Positano’s selection of restaurants is amazing. As someone who is keen on a fine dining experience I was not disappointed to find our pensione was located on a road with no fewer than six places recommended in recent Michelin guides. Rest assured, I worked my way through as many of these as possible.

View of Vesuvius Volcano from Villa dei Misteri, Pompeii

Even in spite of the rain I would say that Positano is also a good central place to explore several areas of the Amalfi coast. You’ve got easy access to the ruins of Pompeii as well as Amalfi itself, Sorrento and Capri. I would highly recommend the trip to the ancient ruins, which gives you a chance to marvel at how amazing the Romans were (as well as giving a really interesting insight into their culture). I was stunned by the way it was preserved, we spent five hours wandering round and I could easily have stayed longer.

I think the whole area has a lot to offer for sun seekers, culture vultures, foodies and those people who like the whole vineyard experience, I would highly recommend it, if only you could guarantee the weather!

All images by Andy Barker

Footy Fever

Football fans do not fear. With the end of the regular football season coming to a close we are set for a summer of sizzling football action, with England at Euro 2012 bound to be a major highlight followed by the likes of David Beckham representing an all British team at the Olympics. The rest of the tickets for the London 2012 Olympic football tournament went on sale on Monday and they stay on sale until 11pm this Sunday 6^th May, or until they have all sold out, so grab yours while you can!

This is bound to catch the attention of the whole of Britain and not just those living in and around London as, besides Wembley, the football is taking place at the City of Coventry Stadium, St. James’ Park in Newcastle,  Hampden Park in Glasgow, the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff and of course Old Trafford in Manchester. So it’s true, the Olympics are taking place across the whole country, not just in London.

Millennium Stadium – Image by Dan Kamminga

Not Just A Sporting Games

The announcement this week of a music concert at Hyde Park to mark the start of the Olympics created much excitement. The 27^th of July concert will showcase British talent from all four corners of the UK, with Britpop band Duran Duran representing England. Paolo Nutini will represent Scotland, Snow Patrol will represent Northern Ireland and the Stereophonics will be rocking out for Wales.

Tickets go on sale today (4^th of May) for this exciting event which marks a summer of Olympic celebrations showcasing a variety of art forms, including art, film, fashion and comedy, proving that you don’t just have to like sport to enjoy the Olympics.

Duran Duran – Image by Earl McGehee

Final Preparations

The final London 2012 test events are taking place this week, with the British women’s Olympic hockey team winning their first game 1-0 in their test event. Over 140,000 spectators will also watch sports such as Wheelchair Tennis, Water Polo and Athletics in preparation for what is expected to be the safest Olympic Games ever.

Medal Madness

News emerged this week that the all-important Olympic medals have been made and the Paralympic medals are in their final stages of production. A special team at the Royal Mint in Llantrisant, South Wales have been working on them for months. You can see the interesting footage here – it’s almost as good as watching chocolate being made!

Olympic Medals on display at the British Museum – Image by p_a_h

Has that whet your appetite for the Olympics? Check out our TravelTips page for ideas of great places to go in London, and compare prices for hotels in the heart of the action here.

Club entry  is sky high and you won’t get a drink for less than 10 euros, which is why I think the more you can save on your flights and accommodation, the better!  This offer from Broadway Travel is ridiculously good value; for only £139 per person you get return flights and three nights of accommodation in the middle of vibrant San Antonio! Travel dates are this month – so step to it!

That’s a 50% discount – a half price holiday doesn’t sound, well, half-bad to us! We’ll be the ones chilling by the pool with the glass of sangria…

Image by ST33VO

The thing I personally love about Ibiza is that it has so many sides to it. As much as  its dominated by party-centric hedonism, it’s also an  incredibly scenic, tranquil place for families to relax and unwind. Broadway Travel clearly know about these diverse sides, as this offer gives you the chance to choose between two different hotels! One is the Mar Amantis I, which offers a more relaxed kind of accommodation for families, and the other is the Mar Amantis II, which offers a younger, livelier kind of vibe. Wherever you choose to stay, you can use the facilities of both hotels – score!

Want to put your Balearic bliss package together yourself? Find cheap flights to Ibiza by using our search tool.

Here’s the offer if you fancy a closer look.