Where to Find Some of the Best Beaches in the World
We think that Cape Town has some of the best beaches in the world. You can choose beaches which are on the Indian Ocean, with warm water, or those on the colder Atlantic Ocean. Neither coast is very distant from the other, so travelling between the two is easy by road or rail. Most of the beaches, which stretch around the coastline are long with white sand. On some of the beaches like Muizenberg you'll find lifeguards, so they are safe to surf from. Other beaches, like Boulders Beach, you'll find plenty of animals. On Boulders beach it's the African Penguins that live there. Beware, they can be rather smelly and they do bite if you get too close to them, but don't let that stop you diving into the water to swim with them. The penguins appear very tolerant of their fellow human sunbathers and are quite happy to live harmoniously with us! Let's face it, where else can you get an experience like this? Seals and fish life abound, which in turn brings the bird life. Whilst sitting on the back verandah of the house we constantly see the more common birds such as Turns, Black-Backed Seagulls, Cormorants, but great excitement happens when the African Pelicans come to visit. Huge jumbo jets of birds, serenely floating along like the QE2 in full sail! The African Pelicans seem to like to come to visit during the evening time at dusk, staying all night on the sand bank just across the water. It's almost as if they come for an overnight or weekend stay. Obviously like the Hilton to them. Other visitors that we love to see on our lagoon are the Egrets, Herons and Oyster Catchers. Wonderful wading birds, all with their own characteristics, which you could sit and watch all day long, just wading up and down, dancing their flirty dances to attract the fish, or at least confuse the fish sufficiently for the bird to suddenly dip its head and peck the fish straight out of the water and into it's gullet. Beaches with facilities, life and people, beaches without anything except for the birdlife. The choice is yours. Often you can find beaches not far away from the hubbub and find not one soul upon it, real desert island stuff. Spectacular scenery is also the norm for Cape Town beaches. Just think of the bay of Cape Town with it's flat-topped mountain in the background. The whole of the bay is infact, one long sandy beach, stetching for miles around Table Bay. Next time you're thinking about taking a beach holiday, take a look at Cape Town - you'll not be disappointed. Helen Palmer is the author of the website http://www.magical-cape-town-vacations.com, whose family's love of Cape Town was spawned some 30 years ago, when her aunt moved there to live. Regular visits and a genuine love of travel persuaded Helen to share her passion.
Related News
Mississippi Outdoors: News & Notes - DeSoto Appeal
Mississippi Outdoors: News & NotesDeSoto Appeal, TN -Nov 30, 2008This program, developed by noted archer Ray Howell, is designed to expose troubled and underprivileged youth to archery, hunting and the great outdoors. ... |
The Morning Skate: Bucks and Pucks, Rangers’ D and Obama Outdoors? - New York Times
Outdoors Report: Winds make fishing tough on Bay - Houston Chronicle
Outdoors Report: Winds make fishing tough on BayHouston Chronicle, United States -Nov 30, 2008By BINK GRIMES AND WILKENS WEATHER For the Chronicle Guide Mike Segall of Reel Threel Charters said fishing was tough due to low tides and strong northwest ... |
ACTIVE OUTDOORS - Brattleboro Reformer
ACTIVE OUTDOORSBrattleboro Reformer, United States -38 minutes ago... NH While it's absolutely wonderful that people want to get outdoors at this beautiful time of year, the lack of common sense displayed in both of these ... |
Group managing outdoors tax to hold first meeting - Minnesota Public Radio
Skating into the outdoors - MaineToday.com
MaineToday.com |
Skating into the outdoorsMaineToday.com, ME -12 hours agoBean made its reputation by selling goods that help people enjoy the outdoors, and it wanted to create a "green retreat" downtown that could be enjoyed by ... |
Columbia Sportswear Company and Mountain Hardwear Invite Seattle ... - MarketWatch
Great Gifts for the Great Outdoors - Kitsap Sun
Great Gifts for the Great OutdoorsKitsap Sun, United States -4 hours agoBy Seabury Blair Jr. Assuming you got out of the stock market before it sunk faster than a Trident crash dive, you might find the following Christmas gift ... |
Stay safe outdoors - Idaho Press-Tribune
Stay safe outdoorsIdaho Press-Tribune, ID -Nov 30, 2008Always allow for bad weather and for the possibility that you may be forced to spend a night outdoors unexpectedly. Guffy Bridge can be seen from the basalt ... |
Outdoors Report: Dec. 2 - Houston Chronicle
Outdoors Report: Dec. 2Houston Chronicle, United States -2 hours agoBy BINK GRIMES and WILKINS WEATHER For the Chronicle Stiff northwest winds continued to push water out of the bay systems and congregate fish in deep ... |
|
|
 |
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
RV Camping at Casinos
There's nothing that will quicken the interest of RVers like the prospect of free overnight parking. Places such as Wal-Mart parking lots, and truck stops, are well known freebies, and if you are on the move in your RV, expanding the list of possible free overnight camping locations will broaden your options. What is especially encouraging is that Casinos as a whole are RV friendly.
Sleeping Pads For Ultralight Backpackers
Ultralight backpackers want to give up weight, not comfort. Sleeping pads are pretty much a necessity for backpacking comfort, but who wants to carry those monstrous old inflatables down the trail? Try some of these lightweight options instead.
Going it Alone: The Waterfall at Mendenhall Glacier, Alaska
I stood at the observation point on the balcony at the Visitor Center overlooking the great Mendenhall Glacier at Juneau, Alaska. Before me was a beautiful scene. The glacier reflected in the large lake. Ooh, ahh. Both to the left and right were mountains. It was a beautiful clear day. I watched the people too, walking around taking photos, and looking at the scenery before us and at the displays in the center, just a few feet away.
Japanese Garden of Monaco
Have you ever seen an authentic Japanese garden? Well, I had the chance of seeing the one in Monaco and was really impressed too. Wanna taste a little Japanese culture? Stepping on this ground is escaping from the real world into a fantasy land. You suddenly find yourself in a typical Japanese natural setting like the ones you see in marvelous paintings. The only thing that's missing is the fog. Instead, the Mediterranean sun reveals all minute details in a warm light.
Book a Golf Package in Myrtle Beach for Golfing Fun and Great Times in the Sun
Thousands of golfers flock to the Carolinas each spring and fall to enjoy some of the greatest golf courses in the country, and booking a golf package in Myrtle Beach is one of the best ways to experience what the area has to offer to devoted fans of the sport.
Camping For Fun
Camping for fun is a great way to enjoy the outdoors and relax. But before going camping you will need to purchase camping equipment one of the better places to get the gear you need is at camping world.
Ultralight Backpacking Versus Traditional Backpacking
Contrary to what many think, ultralight backpacking is not just about the freedom to hike more miles or to take your whole pack up the mountain with you. It is also about comfort and safety. Backpackers with heavy loads work too hard and threaten their joints too much. Challenges may add to the experience, but why suffer more than is necessary?
Its an Alien World in Every River
When you look at a river, what do you see? A few flies on top? A fish or two?
Driving in Greece - How Bad is it?
Generally speaking, Greek drivers are not the best in Europe, but they are not the worst ? those people know who they are!
The Kuan Yin Shrine, Bangkok ? the Goddess of Mercy on the Chao Phraya
The Kuan Yin Shrine in Bangkok is in an old Chinese building
within a community on the Chao Phraya River where time
seems to have stood still for the last 200 years.
Too much to do in London!
No one can truly say they know London well. To know London completely is impossible. London changes faster than pigeons descending into the fountains of Trafalgar Square. Home to inhabitants for over 2,000 years now London has grown from the protective circle of the Tower to a sprawling metropolis, the ideal platform for constant illustrious activity.
Always where there is history there are tales to tell. Tourists are naturally drawn to the regular tourist attractions, yet it is the true travellers that seek deeper to find the gems of a 2,000 year-old town. It only takes a very small amount of investigating to find something more rewarding, more interesting, more inspiring in London, than the London Dungeons (although it must be said ? is a damn good laugh if you can bear the hour long queues!).
For instance, not even a minute's walk from the London Dungeons is the Hay's Galleria. This gem is for some totally bizarre reason hidden from all guidebooks and tourist information ? no doubt to preserve its lack of thousands of tourists making it a less exclusive haven. Please go there! It's a beautiful indoor/outdoor menagerie of a few select shops, with a vast concourse of cafes, market stalls, bands, presentations, and of course, it overlooks a beautiful part of the Thames.
Turn right from Hays Galleria and you find yourself in a Thames-side walkway next to the newest buildings in town. The architecture is phenomenal, and these lord-mayor buildings are still so new that you can imagine that the cellophane has just freshly been peeled off all the windows. You are welcome to enter the Lord Mayor's building (it's the one shaped like a golf ball), go to the top and marvel at the mind-boggling roundness of it all ? plus of course see the spectacular views of the HMS Belfast, Tower Bridge & the Tower of London. Continue strolling directly into the I-Witness open-air gallery, before maybe snacking on a hot-dog in the mini-fairground.
Walk past the green that previously hosted many Hollywood film premieres in giant marquees, the David Blaine in-a-box episode, plus many other varied events, and you are literally underneath Tower Bridge, keep walking and you are now in Shad Thames, a true delight of traffic-free, cobbled streets full of people, giving you a precise feeling of how the London streets felt hundreds of years ago. It is as if these streets have been restored from long ago, thus delivering to the traveller a wonderfully rich blend of old and new in the same vicinity. Circle around Shad Thames, past the ever-changing Design-Museum, and find yourself in Butlers Wharf, a charming quay-side collection of bars & restaurants all overlooking the Thames opposite the equally picturesque St Katherine's Dock. Trust me when I tell you that Butlers Wharf is the ultimate in romantic settings.
Hays Galleria to Butlers Wharf is one walk of quite possibly hundreds to choose from, in fact ? that's a whole day right there! There are equal delights even if you turned left out of Hay's Galleria instead, especially the Clink Street Prison Museum, Vinopolis (Wine Museum), Borough Market, Southwark Cathedral, I could go on?.
Great streets, great walks, great museums (forget the big-ones ? go to the Children's museum in Bethnal Green for a real treat). It is frustrating to think that the bulk of visitors to London wind up staying in some of the least interesting areas. Paddington & Bayswater are both great areas, being so close to Hyde Park & Kensington Gardens (now home to the finally-completed Princess Diana shrine). Kensington & Earls Court have their highlights too, but there is more to London than the tried and tested tourist routes.
I recently stayed in a five star hotel in the middle of the city on the weekend for less than one hundred pounds a night, and was amazed at exactly how completely empty the city of London was. I was in heaven! There I was in the middle of one of the oldest cities around, and I had it all to myself! City hotels are notorious for being completely empty on weekends, hence the great rates. I am sure tourists pay over the hundred pounds per night threshold to stay in 'trendy' Kensington etal, when they could easily stay next to Tower Bridge, St Paul's, Millennium Bridge etc, for much less.
Needless to say that the City of London (the financial centre) is absolutely coloured with history, everywhere you go there are buildings proclaiming their 16th century origins, and they are in abundance.
I was recently taken to what is supposedly one of the oldest London pubs in existence. Again, this pub is not only hidden from the guidebooks and the common information sources, it is also hidden from the public! I had to be taken there, as I would never have been able to find it unless accompanied. This pub is hidden from the world. It is sandwiched between two narrow streets and therefore completely obscured from any main thoroughfare. It has its own courtyard and as you stand supping a pint outside, it is as if you are in Victorian London. Look down the misty streets and it is easy to conjure up an old bobby on the beat blowing his whistle, or Jack the Ripper lurking in the shadows. Oh - and there's a 150 year old tree growing through the building, to add to the oddity of the pub.
Hampstead is another great area waiting to be discovered. Covered in green spaces, Hampstead (North London) is perfect for the idyllic setting combined with the close proximity to the big-smoke. Steeped in its own folklore, Hampstead was home to Dick Turpin (apparently he was born at the Spaniard's Inn ? hugely popular and famous pub on the Heath) of which his ghost still roams Kenwood house, and the surrounding woodlands. The high streets of Hampstead, Belsize Park, and the immaculately kept Primrose Hill are possibly the last untouched-by-commercialism streets in London (no Starbucks here!). If you want breath-taking views of the city, historical sites detailing the 'first entry point into London', combined with al-fresco dining, and an altogether more relaxed atmosphere, Hampstead is the place, and less than 15 minutes on the tube to the city centre! Now do you see why it seems frustrating that tourists stay in less desirable areas when they could stay in an altogether more inspiring location, just as close to all the major attractions?
Of course, Hampstead is one of London's many beauty spots, yet the city is not all about beauty. As with any home to approximately 10 million people, varied activity is rife. London events cannot help but affect all, every Londoner has an opinion on the congestion zone, on the ill-fated Millennium Dome, on Tony Blair, in fact on any topic you care to mention. Start a conversation with any London black-cab driver ? typically famous for their outspoken views, and you will find yourself immediately thrown into the debate of the day.
So, when visiting London do not even attempt to see it all ? you cannot.
In a city where already this year a Roman road has been uncovered a mile below ground level dating back to 1 AD, and where Paddington workers uncovered Brunel's first iron-bridge ? one they didn't know existed - London is forever creating wonders on a regular basis.
enq@VisitHotels.com
www.VisitHotels.com
Ireland Golf Vacations ? Top Tips To Help You Plan an Ireland Golf Vacation
Live your golfing dreams on an Ireland golf vacation.
Mystic Seaport Captured ? Links to Our Past Guide, Part 3
Mystic Seaport celebrates the seafaring past of New England. Known as The Museum of America and the Sea, the seaport is an entertaining journey through 19th century nautical life.
Rigid Inflatable Boats
A rigid inflatable boat is defined as a hard-hulled boat with air inflatable collars. RIB hulls are made of fiberglass, aluminum or composite materials. The soft bumpers or fenders, called ""sponsons,"" can be air tubes, or all foam systems. These boats are powered by a variety of motors and usually come from the manufacturer as a package ? boat with tube, motor and trailer.
All the Way to Timbuctu
Yes, it's real. There is a place called Timbuktu and it is not just an imaginary figment at the end of an exclamatory statement. What child has not muttered at some time that he, or she, was "going all the way to Timbuktu!" What adult has not dismissed it as "some far away place," not knowing quite sure where it actually was, if it did exist at all.
Lake Winnipesaukee ? The Smile of the Great Spirit
Lake Winnipesaukee is the largest and one of the deepest lakes in New Hampshire. Centered in the popular vacation area known as the Lakes Region it provides 4-season pleasure for millions every year.
Protection from Lightning - Smart Strategies for Hikers and All Outdoor Enthusiasts
Prevention is your best protection against lightning. Be sure to check
your local weather report before you head outside. Learn how to read
the sky and where to run for cover. Lightning can and does strike in the
same place twice, do not make yourself vulnerable by becoming a
target.
Scotland - The New White Water Rafting Capital of Europe
Scotland has taken its place as the new Mecca for white water rafting and extreme sports enthusiasts. With over 120 activity centres around the country you can do it all here - from jumping off cliffs, sliding through canyons and rolling down hills in plastic balls, to more traditional activities such as white water rafting, quad biking and clay pigeon shooting.
Great Indian Holidays
Holidays in India, awesome in her size and diversity. This virtual sub-continent, stretches from the lofty Himalyas , a series of 2000km long mountain ranges in the north, to the extensive deserts in the west, the lush evergreen forest in the south to the far-flung sub Himalayan forests in the North East. Containing within it three mighty rivers, the Indus, the Ganga and the Brahmaputra, the immense Indo-Gangetic Plain, the Deccan Plateau and the two major hill chains of the South, the Western Ghats, bordering the southwestern coast from Maharashtra, across Goa and Karnataka into Kerala and the Eastern Ghats on the Coromondal Coast. Finally, the Lakhshadweep Islands in the Arabian Sea and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the Bay of Bengal.
African Safari Gear Packing List - What To Take Along
The last thing you want on an African safari is to realise that you have left any important safari gear behind.
|