Travel Guide

Posts Tagged ‘Island’

Visit Volcanic Lanzarote Few holiday islands can match the dramatic scenery of Lanzarote. The fourth largest of the Canary Islands which is located just off the coast of West Africa. On a similar line of latitude to parts of Mexico and Florida. As it boasts incredibly surreal volcanic scenery which was created by eruptions centuries ago. Leaving twisted terrain and spent volcanoes as its legacy. Today this region dominates the interior of the island and is the most popular visitor attraction on the island. With 300 volcanoes occupying an area of around 200 km square. The eruptions also had an impact elsewhere on the island – creating strange sights such as the green lagoon at El Golfo. Little wonder then that Lanzarote is quite a hot favourite with film makers. Its dramatic landscapes having featured in numerous motion pictures over the years. Most recently Broken Embraces – which stars Penelope Cruz and which was directed by Pedro Almodovar.

GETTING TO LANZAROTE

Lanzarote welcomes millions of tourists every year and the majority of them originate from the UK. Cheap flights to Lanzarote are available from all major UK airports and most of the big name budget airlines fly there. With the journey taking around four hours. On arrival tourists should note that there is no shuttle bus service between the resorts and the airport. So it is important to arrange Lanzarote car hire in advance of arrival. Or join the queue for taxis – which can be quite sizeable on the busiest flight days. Which are usually Thursdays and Tuesdays. Read the rest of this entry »

Hilton Head Island or Hilton Head is a town (located on an island of the same name) in Beaufort County, South Carolina, United States. It is 20 miles (32 km) north of Savannah, Georgia, and 95 miles (153 km) south of Charleston. The island features 12 miles (19 km) of beachfront on the Atlantic Ocean and is a popular vacation destination. In 2004, an estimated 2.25 million visitors pumped more than $1.5 billion into the local economy.

The year-round population was 33,862 at the 2000 census, although during the peak of summer vacation season the population can swell to 275,000. Over the past decade, the island’s population growth rate was 32%.

The island has a rich history that started with seasonal occupation by native Americans thousands of years ago, and continued with European exploration and the Sea Island Cotton trade. It became an important base of operations for the Union blockade of the Southern ports during the Civil War. Once the island fell to Union troops, hundreds of ex-slaves flocked to Hilton Head, which is still home to many ‘native islanders’, many of whom are descendants of freed slaves known as the Gullah (or Geechee) who have managed to hold onto much of their ethnic and cultural identity. Read the rest of this entry »

The Princes’ Islands (Turkish: Prens Adaları [Prince Islands] or more commonly Kizil Adalar [Red Islands] or just Adalar as they are officially named , are a chain of nine islands off the coast of Istanbul, Turkey, in the Sea of Marmara. During the summer months the Princes’ Islands are popular destinations for day trips from Istanbul. As there is no traffic on the Islands, the only transport being horse and cart, they are incredibly peaceful compared with the city of Istanbul. They are just a short ferry ride from both the Asian (at Bostancı and also Kartal) and European sides (from Sirkeci/Eminönü, Kabataş and Yenikapı) of Istanbul. Most ferries call in turn at the four largest of the nine islands: Kınalıada, Burgazada, Heybeliada and finally Büyükada. Ferry services are provided by Istanbul Seabuses (İDO), a firm operated by the municipality of Istanbul. In spring and autumn the islands are quieter and more pleasant, although the sea can be rough in late autumn and winter.
During the Byzantine period, prince and other royalty were exiled on the islands, and later members of the Ottoman sultans family were exiled there too, lending the islands their present name. They were taken by the Ottoman fleet during the siege of Constantinople in 1453. During the 19th century the islands became a popular resort for Istanbul’s wealthy, and Victorian era cottages and houses are still preserved on the largest of the Princes’ islands.
The Princes’ Islands have become more and more ethnically Turkish in character due to the influx of wealthy Turkish jetsetters, a process which began in the first days of the Turkish Republic Read the rest of this entry »