Malta Spa holidays are a hit

Specialsit holiday companies state that one the fastest growing trends in the business these days is for spa vacations. These holidays are exactly what stressed tourists need to help them unwind. The popularity of spa vacations can be linked to the increase in awareness of health and fitness and a spa holiday gives the holidaymaker a sense of well-being that is more than physical.
Long gone are the days when spa vacations were just for the rich and famous. Now, with many hotels offering the service, prices have fallen. This reduced cost has made it possible for almost anyone to afford a spa holiday. This ability to get away and relax while being pampered head to toe is important now more than ever. The stresses of everyday life have increased tremendously. Going on spa holidays provide a little bit of escape for a few days or a week.

Most hotels now have spas and gyms as part of their facilities. This makes it easy to turn an annual vacation into a spa holiday as well.

Spa Vacations in Malta
One country that is on the map where spa vacations are concerned is Malta. The country is home to one of the best and second largest spa resort in Europe. The Fortina Spa Resort in Silema is a five-star establishment that offers in excess of 200 spa treatments.

The Republic of Malta consists of three islands. Malta, long known as a vacation spot, continues to appeal to tourists from across the globe. Its year round excellent temperature helps make Malta the perfect holiday getaway spot. Well-known spas in Malta for those seeking to unwind include:
o Fortina Spa Resort: This all-inclusive resort is Malta’s newest 5 star hotel. It also boasts the world’s first Therapeutic Spa bedrooms. Aside from its rejuvenating spa treatments, Fortina is also highly recommended for its excellent cuisine. Other features include a fitness center, a dental clinic and conference facilities. It is known for treatments like algae baths and aromatherapy.

o Myoka Health & Beauty Clubs: This spa chain’s philosophy of Purity, Energy & Harmony is manifested though its variety of offerings. Whether it is a simple facial or a full body massage or reflexology treatment, all the client’s needs are covered. Treatments target anti-aging, de-stressing and hair care needs.

o Preluna Hotel & Spa: Ideally located on the Sliema seafront, the Feelgood Wellness Spa is well within reach of the city’s entertainment spots. The luxury spa offers natural beauty treatments and massage. It also has a well-equipped fitness center.

o The Riviera Resort and Spa: This resort adapts its treatments to suit each client. It combines wellness, fitness, beauty and relaxation for the best experience possible. Reflexology, deep tissue massages, and hair and skin care are just a few of the spa treatments available.

o Kempinski Hotel San Lawrenz: Guests can enjoy one of the hotel’s four pools as they indulge in its luxury spa treatments. Aside from beauty treatments, it also offers Ayurveda and conventional massages. Yoga and Pilates sessions are also available.

Rates at the various spas and hotels in Malta differ, as do the types of treatments available. Some spas go to great lengths to make their packages suitable for most budgets. Some amount of research may be necessary before deciding on a spa. Important factors to consider include rates, treatments available and proximity to shopping and entertainment spots.
Malta’s spas are ideally suited to offer a relaxing and rejuvenating experience. As more holidaymakers seek world-class spas to soothe their cares away, more hotels may create their own facilities, and Malta is a leading light in Europe for hotels with spa facilities.

Beaming Bali, Indonesia

Everyone in Bali smiles. Big, broad, beaming smiles. And all that’s necessary to evoke it is eye contact. Even Village Girlswhen they may be preoccupied with weaving their scooters through traffic or carrying a heavy, flailing pig across the road, you only have to hint at a smile from your own lips and the response is immediate and electrifying.

“Transport?” queried a smiling young man on a sidewalk in Ubud, an artsy town in the south-eastern hills. It’s a frequent offer on the streets of nearly every town in Bali. Everyone with a car will offer you a ride for a small price. You may say “no thank you” seven times on Monkey Forest Road in Ubud. But what’s heart-warming is that you will always receive an enthusiastic “Welcome!” in response.

As one of Indonesia’s luxury destinations, Bali is a truly service-oriented society and economy. Away from the resorts on the coast, there is less commercial zeal and more genuine friendliness. Culturally, Bali differs from other Indonesian islands, and indeed is an exception in this predominantly Muslim country with its Hindu-Buddhist history. It is this history that shapes the Balinese approach to life and the Balinese landscape.

Exploring the surroundings of Ubud on bike is perhaps the best way to take in the beautiful landscape, with all its rice terraces, temples, villages and cackling roosters. I signed up for a daytrip with Arung from Bali Moon Group. We began with a morning stop at an eclectic orchard growing everything from mangosteen, papaya and peanuts to cacao, coffee beans and tea leaves. Arung also introduced us to salak, a fruit with a brown, snake-scaled skin that looks like a nut inside and tastes like mixture of apple and pear.

A Cyclingfter an invigorating ginger tea we were driven up to the edge of Mount Batur. The mountain bikes were unloaded and we were ready to start off downhill back towards Ubud. Arung had assured us back in the office that it was “all downhill”, but some of us were taken aback by how steep downhill can be. And the road was just a rocky path. One of the English girls on the excursion already wanted to make use of the trailing van service that carried our backpacks, but was persuaded to stick with it since it would get easier.

Our reward, when it began to level out, was a school full of excited children running towards the road to greet us. Six and seven year old boys were exploding with excitement, seemingly overwhelmed by such an unexpected visit from strangers. “Hallo! Hallo!” they squealed, vying to make eye contact with any one of the cyclists and jumping for high-fives. Wide-eyed awe and giggles rippled through the crowd as our group responded to their eagerness. It felt like the Tour de France. A few boys ran with the bikes until they were out-paced or came to the end of the village.

We cycled along rice paddies, many of them flocked by Temple ducks feeding on leftover grains. In the rolling countryside I could hear the lovely sound of bamboo music and wind chimes everywhere. We passed through several more villages, all laid out on a sloping north-south axis and flanked by walled enclosures that are the typical Balinese. Each had an elaborately carved gateway and immediately behind it a wall, the aling-aling, to keep floating evil spirits from sweeping in through the open gateway.

In one village an old man on a moped scooted up beside me to ride tandem and indulge in conversation. His smile was wide, his questions direct. “Where you from? Where you stay? Where you go?” He exudes a pride in managing dialogue with a foreigner and brushes off the cajoling of youngsters. As we neared the open countryside he veered off back into his village and signalled his final sentence with a wave,”The Balinese people welcome you. Good time.”

Everyone, just everyone, genuinely wants to have contact and wish you well. When we came to the end of our cycle we were invited into a family home. The residential compound had sleeping pavilions for extended family members, a fountain in the middle, a temple and a low table for us to share dinner. A typical Indonesian meal is a selection of hot and cold plates, with spicy meats, peanut sauces and sautéed vegetables. Everyone was exhausted from the combination of heat and pedalling, and completely ready to feast on the buffet.

When our host came to collect our finished plates, she asked simply “Happiness?”

Costa del Sol, Spain

It isn’t very difficult to see why southern Spain’s Costa del Sol is such a hit with European holidaymakers. With its beachwhite-sand beaches and mountainside citrus groves, this stretch of Malaga coastline is a marvelous slice of pure Mediterranean, boasting an average of over 300 sunny days a year. In the past sixty years, the region has gone from backwater to big-time; today, the geography of the coast is a litany of high-end resort towns, like Marbella and Torre del Mar, which cater to the wealthier crowd.

Despite the Costa del Sol’s reputation as a seaside playground for the rich and famous, visitors willing to go beyond the beach may find themselves surprised by how much the region has to offer. They run the gamut from outdoorsy to intellectual, from windsurfing all the way to wine tasting. Malaga’s coast offers an array of adventures to suit every palate, each one flavored with the Costa del Sol’s unique Andalusia-meets-Mediterranean charm.

For history-hungry travelers, Nerja Cave, located near the town of the same name, is a good place to start. In 1959, the first cavers to access this 5 km-long system discovered skeletal remains and tools dating back to the Paleolithic era. Visitors can tour the cave’s main chamber and look at some of the excavated artifacts. In addition, the cave, which supposedly possesses excellent acoustics, occasionally hosts classical music performances, though this practice is becoming less common due to conservation concerns.

housesIf you’d rather be out in the fresh air, lace up your hiking boots and head to Sierra de las Nieves national park. The park, which lies in the mountainous hinterland about 18 kilometers north of the seaside resort town of Marbella, offers hiking and biking in over 200 square kilometers of slopes and virgin pine forest. The park is also famous for its many vertical caves, a few of which plunge to depths of over 1000 meters. Due to its higher altitude, the park does sometimes experience snowfall during the winter months, so check the weather before heading out and come prepared for the cold.

When it comes to watersports in the Costa del Sol, windsurfing is king. Spain’s southern coast is a veritable windsurfing Mecca; on any given day, dozens of sails dot the horizons at the Costa’s major beaches as groups of surfers skim and spin their way across the water. Equipment rental shops line most beaches, and most resorts have windsurfing clubs where beginners can pick up the basics in the relatively calm waters. More experienced surfers in search of a challenge can make the hour-and-a-half trek southwest to Tarifa, where aficionados from around the globe gather to try their skills on the strong winds and currents from the Strait of Gibraltar.

In addition to the sights of the region itself, the Costa del Sol is also convenient to some of the Iberian Peninsula’s most famous destinations. The city of Granada is a day trip away; beach-weary travelers can take a break from the sun and explore the Alhambra, the magnificent 14th century palace that once housed Granada’s Moorish rulers. On the off chance that visitors finish their tour with any time left to spare, a stroll around the maze-like cobblestone streets and open-air spice stalls of old hillsGranada offers enough captivating sights and sounds to keep anyone occupied for days.

For a slightly different excursion, Gibraltar, a British overseas territory located at the edge of the Iberian peninsula, is about an hour and ten minutes’ drive from Marbella. The iconic Rock of Gibraltar, a peak that looms up from the center of the territory, offers Europe’s best view of the African continent as well as the chance to meet Gibraltar’s well-known Barbary ape population. Because Gibraltar is British territory, visitors need to bring their passports in order to enter.

Finding budget-friendly accommodations in the Costa del Sol can be a bit challenging, but it’s certainly possible. While top-tier resorts like Marbella’s are pricey beyond belief, less exorbitant resorts in towns such as Torremolinos sometimes offer fairly reasonable package deals. If that doesn’t work, try looking for accommodations a few kilometers inland; if you’re willing to stay a little further from the coast, you’ll have an easier time escaping the resorts’ high prices.

Alternatively, if you’re traveling with a group, it may actually be cheaper to rent a house, especially if you’re planning on staying in the area for a while. Because the Costa del Sol is such a popular destination, many travelers from other European countries buy second homes in the area, often renting them out when they’re not using them. Plan your trip well in advance and try to negotiate the rental price with the owners and you may well be able to score a bargain, a rare enough event on these shores.

Bags you can take through airport security

It’s a pretty confusing time to be travelling right now, what with airport security regulations changing on a fairly regular basis. Here’s some recent bad news: If you’re flying into the U.S. (or are connecting through the U.S.), you’re not allowed to take any carry-on baggage. [Update: As of January 20, you are now allowed one piece of carry-on baggage in addition to your small purse. The carry-on can be up to 23x40x55 cm.]

The sort-of good news: You can still take a small purse. Specifically, a purse no larger that 25×30×14 cm. Does that sound small? It is–just slightly larger than your average magazine. This leaves out a host of classics–the YSL Tribute, the Birkin (unless it’s the 25 cm “baby”), the Marc Jacobs Stam bag–or anything else with a decent amount of space. (Our sources tell us that they’re not exactly whipping out the a tape measure at check-in, so you can probably cheat a centimetre or two.) Bottom line: If you think you’re pushing it, size-wise, with your bag, call your airline to confirm, or just leave it at home. You do not want to risk having to check a Birkin.

But let’s think positive. It’s a chance to minimize. There are plenty of stylishly-small handbags (see below), and no matter your destination, you’re still able to bring toiletries and the now familiar 1-litre Ziploc bag filled with your 100-ml gels and liquids. Knowing that space is at a premium, we spoke to our beauty director, about the products she travels with.

On her “must-have or die” list:

At the airport in style

When it comes to traveling, the one thing that most people dread most is going through the various airport security and counter check-ins. But it doesn’t have to be such a pain. So long as you prepare in advance and stick to plain manners and fashion you should hopefully be able to get through with no problems at all. We’re going to provide a few helpful hints that you can use to make your next trip go smoothly. Read the rest of this entry »