Archive for the ‘World Travel Advice’ Category

People who come to learn Spanish in Costa Rica are absolutely bowled over by the charm of the place. Popularly known as the ‘rich coast’ this place located by the ocean is warming with fishing villages, seaside resorts, nightclubs and everything that can make your learning a kind of never before experience. The country has a rich collection of flora and fauna that you would hardly find anywhere in the world. ESL – languages.com offers the most exciting opportunity to learn Spanish.

As you embark on your mission to learn Spanish in Costa Rica your senses get constantly refreshed by the cascading mountain rivers that descend into the plains.

History says that Costa Rica witnessed the landing of Christopher Columbus here in the year 1502. He was so enamored by its beauty that he wanted to stay on. When you come to learn Spanish in Costa Rica you too would detest the thought of leaving this place once you complete your course. The clear blue waters of the ocean would entice you to delay your stay as long as possible.

A lot of visitors come to Costa Rica from different parts of the world. It is indeed a tropical paradise which makes your learning even more enriching. As you learn Spanish in Costa Rica you get the opportunity to explore its hidden gems. Some of the best language schools are located here. If you want to experience a once in a lifetime experience then this is the place for you.

The language schools here maintain the same quality that you get elsewhere. The courses are recognized globally and you can choose one which fits into your pocket and capability.

For those who want variety there are also language schools San Jose which have become popular with keen learners. Populated sparsely this coastal capital of Costa Rica is teeming with friendly people where you can party and at the same time engage yourself in serious learning.  The café’s bars and restaurants make your evenings very colourful. You can meet students who are studying in the University of Heredia.

Language schools San José provides you a perfect natural environment to indulge in your Spanish learning lessons. It is vibrant and well connected by rail and air. The climate is temperate tropical and your stay here would turn out to be very lively and refreshing. Whether you choose Costa Rica or San Jose, you can be sure that you are making the right choice because to make learning effective and lasting you need to have a conductive atmosphere and these two places have that.

If you have a young family then you should seriously consider finding yourself a great self-catering holiday apartment. You can find this sort of accommodation quite easily on the Internet and there are many private and business websites that offer this kind of accommodation. A self-catering apartment will allow you the freedom you need to maintain a similar structure to what you have at home. Young children need some kind of structure even when they are on holiday and if you plan on staying for longer than a week then you will need this flexibility. In this way, you can come and go as you please. If the kids need a nap in the afternoon then that is exactly what they can do. If they are hungry at 3am then you can open a box of cereal. It is not like a hotel where you are bound by rigid meal times. A self-catering apartment will give you a lot more freedom.

However, if you are traveling as a couple then a hotel is always a great choice. Hotels offer you all the ease and convenience that a great getaway should. If you are on holiday you do not want to have to worry about the mundane things. A hotel takes care of all these things for you. You have your set meal times, room service, a swimming pool and room service. You can even head off for a massage at the health spa assuming that your hotel offers this facility. A hotel lets you feel as though you really are on holiday. Most hotels offer day tours and a shuttle service so you do not have to worry about having to hire a car and driving around in a strange city and getting lost.

If you do decide to hire a car then make sure it is from a reputable car hire agency. You do not want to be stuck on some deserted road in the mountains with no service backup to help you. Although you will not always find the international car hire places in smaller towns, you should be able to do an Internet search to gather information. Other travelers are always very eager to offer their holiday stories. If you do not suffer from back pain then you could even sleep in your car and do a long road trip! Just make sure that the country you are driving through is safe enough to do so.

The best way to book your accommodation is to find a website that offers pictures of the accommodation. This ensures that you will not get any nasty surprises when you arrive in that remote town.

St Andrews is a small town situated in the Kingdom of Fife on the east coast of Scotland.  The town is best known as being the “Home of Golf”, this is a reference to the Old Course golf course which is one of the oldest courses in the world and one of the most famous golf courses in the world.

There are six golf courses within St Andrews and there are dozens more within the immediate area.  The towns tourist industry is heavily dependant on golf, with a wide selection of golf specialist stores in the town centre and also several hotels offering views over the Old Course.

There is more to St Andrews than just golf, it has many historical buildings and a unique architecture and stricture that draws comparisons with Edinburgh.  The two main examples of these are St Andrews Castle and St Andrews Cathedral.

Both of these structures are next to each other and are open all year round to visitors.  They are run and maintained by Historic Scotland and the castle in particular offers an excellent photo opportunity as it looks out onto coast of St Andrews.

Although St Andrews is a small town there is no shortage of accommodation available throughout the town centre.  Most have views of a golf course and for a small place a large amount of St Andrews hotels are five star rated and offer luxury accommodation.

The two most popular luxury hotels in St Andrews are the Old Course and the Fairmont.  The Old Course Hotel is situated over looking the Old Course golf course and it has some fantastic facilities.  There are Spa facilities and a fine dining restaurant in the hotel and luxury rooms which offer panoramic views of the golf course.  It also has a central location with the town centre being only a ten minute walk away and the main attractions only 15 minutes away.

The Fairmont St Andrews is situated on the edge of the town and overlooking St Andnrews Bay.  It has two championship golf courses within its grounds and also has spa facilities.  The rooms and standard of service are second to none, as you would expect from a five star resort.

There are other luxury hotels which are situated along the old course and they all offer guests very comfortable accommodation and golf views.  There are cheaper alternatives available in the town with backpacking accommodation at the ST Andrews Tourist Hostel being the cheapest.

The hostel has a central location in the middle of town and has bed from under £15 per person.  The surrounding area also has plenty of bed and breakfasts and guest houses to choose from.  Some people prefer to stay out with St Andrews in one of the many picturesque towns that exist in the local area.

Inside information

Phuket is the largest island in Thailand, the land area is of around 543 sqm- which is about the size of Singapore with a population at the current standing of approximately 320,000 people.  Apart from its famed beaches, you will notice how green and mountainous the island is. Vast expanses of lush vegetation and tropical forests stretch across the island, which weave between a rather spectacular mountain range that meanders from North to South. The highest of which is Mai Thao Sip Song (Twelve Cains) at 529m above sea level

In historical terms, Phuket boasts of a deep ancient history, showing traces that early man existed there long ago. This has been keeping archaeologists busy for quite a while now, and will continue to do for some time to come. Tin was discovered several millennia ago on the island. They cannot pinpoint exactly when tin was discovered but cave drawings show that in ancient times, people did not mine the tin but found it, usually after some heavy rainfall. Phuket has long appeared on the charts of ships on foreign seafarers and marked as a good source of fresh water, firewood and pitch.  The earliest settlers to the island were the primitive Semang Pygmie tribe that still exist in Malaysia today. These tribes were hunter-gatherers who fed from the fruits of the lush canopy rain forests of the island. It is thought that they lived there until they were forced out by tin miners in the mid-nineteenth century.

Pirates of Phuket

The coastal areas of Phuket were populated with the nomadic seafaring tribe called the Chao Nam. These were a small but sturdy race who were expert sailors and traditionally travelled from cove to cove feeding on shell fish, consuming all and then moving on. They were according to the first Europeans to arrive, pirates who robbed and stole and took slaves for transportation to Indonesia.  It is said that tin mining was slow to develop here because of the pirate’s fierce reputation.

Affordable Tin, rubber and accommodation

Fast track a couple of hundred years, by 1972 the long recession in the tin and rubber industry paved way to a new industry, the tourism business. By the mid-70s tourists began to flock to Phuket, thanks to a glittering “Newsweek” article reporting on the undiscovered, beautiful mystical and affordable accommodation and hotels of Phuket. You now know the rest of the story…

Untouched

As ever, the beautiful palm fringed beaches of squeaky white sands that stretch for miles still remain. It is still virtually an untouched paradise, and a very special place to visit. Accommodation on the island is also very affordable and is available to all kinds of tourists, from honeymooners to families with small children. Karon beach is a long curvy beach of sparkling white sands and clear crisp azure sea. Karon beach claims fame to the Horizon Karon Beach Resort and Spa located at the southern end of the beach, accommodation is affordable and first class. Also available around Karon beach are the array of marine activities such as diving and snorkelling. Day trip excursions can also be arranged. Honeymooners who stay more than 4 nights may enjoy service at the Karon Beach Resort Hotels by receiving complimentary gifts upon arrival. While families who reserve a second inter-connecting room for their children can enjoy a 30% discount on the room-rate and a 20% discount on all beverages and food consumed at the hotel resort during their stay.

Escape from Bangkok by Tom:

After spending some time in Bangkok, Thailand and seeing sights such as the Emerald Bhudda in the Grand Palace and some of the other fascinating Thai historical areas available in the City of Angels. We decided it was time to head out to our next destination and get a bit of R n’ R on the beaches of Phuket. We took the mid-morning flight out of Bangkok and enjoyed the short but smooth ride. The aircraft itself was modern, clean and the service excellent. On this occasion we decided to be a little more adventurous than usual, that is; we had no hotel accommodation booked whatsoever. This daring deed for people like us in particular was against all advice of friends, Thais and others we’d encountered on our 2 months “Thai experience”.  We weren’t however all that flustered and we’d time budgeted for about one week on the Phuket resorts without going too cheap on the cash. We’d see how it goes and if we failed to secure hotel accommodation we’d sleep on the beaches a while and take it from there. This is all part of the experience.

The Pearl by Jane:

Flying into Phuket we were struck by how lush the island was. Green undulating mountains of lush vegetation stretching from one end of the island to the other. Now we realized why the Island is called the Pearl of Andaman. The light snack we received plus the complimentary purple orchid was a nice touch of service for this Thai flight. As the plane approached the runway, the daunting feeling of not having booked accommodation was slowly creeping in. With non-existent Thai except for “took” Cheap and “thao rai ka” How much? We were like the blind leading the leading the blind. We exited the airport easily enough only to be hounded by a men and women asking us if we needed a taxi or whether we had hotel accommodation. I said yes we do have a place to stay, but Tom stupidly replied no to which a young lady grabbed his hand as if to take him somewhere. I wasn’t having this. I tugged back at his arm and gave the girl an assertive look whilst waving a pointed finger. My experience on a recent trip to India taught me very quickly that revealing your intentions to strangers can not only get you ripped off, but could even put your life in danger.

Taxi to Patong by Tom:

I was impressed with Jane. She prevented a near kidnapping situation from a local girl-not quite sure what she wanted, but I’d heard of the sex-slave industry. “Phew!” After saying “no” to about a hundred taxi touts. We picked on a homeless looking elderly man to take us to Patong beach, he had been squatting by his car, smoking and chatting with other codgers and since he really seemed disinterested in work in general and didn’t ask us any questions about hotel, cheap bars and souvenirs we decided to use him. The trip to Patong was quite away, we hadn’t anticipated the number of housing projects and golf courses on this route. But we enjoyed the sights anyway. 

Patong beach by Jane:

The driver remained silent the whole journey except for when I prevented him from smoking. I warned him (with gestures) of the dangers of smoking but not sure if he understood. Tom also bravely tried to explain that what with the amount of smoke pouring out of the exhaust he must be polluting the atmosphere. Other than that, the journey went smoothly and our driver dropped us off (quite hastily I might add) in the middle of the bustling resort of Patong. 

Jane’s wong by Tom:

The resort of Patong wasn’t quite what I expected, for a start it was really bustling and we both felt out of place here with our long pants, heavy clothes and suitcases, but at least no one bothered us. This was Tha wee wong road, I remembered the name since I enjoyed teasing Jane by saying things like “no you are wong this is thoroughly Tha wee wong” (well you had to be there!) 

A light on the horizon:

We walked for what seemed minutes, in the searing heat of midday Patong. Tom annoying me with his word play jokes. I told him to just shut the h*** up in no certain times. Then by some god’s miracle there it was, the most delightful resort spa type hotel. The Horizon Patong Beach Resort and Spa handed to us like a gift from god. A Shangrila of the most beautiful gardens and hotels set on acres of lush rainforest and set back away from the bustle. Two shimmering swimming pools, countless cuisine restaurants; we were lucky, we’d arrived! We spent seven glorious days at this resort (one night free!) and would definitely recommend to any one visiting Patong. By Jane and Tom. Oregon, USA.