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Posts Tagged ‘Hollywood’

Hotels Near Walt Disney World: Why You Should Consider Staying Off Disney Property

July 11th, 2009 No comments
by Nancy Bobby

If you are planning a vacation to Walt Disney World, while you and your family may be very excited, you also may be concerned with how much it will cost. However, there are a number of ways that you can save money on your Disney trip. Instead of staying on Disney property, consider accommodations in one of the many hotels near Walt Disney World.

The benefits to staying off-property are many. To start, expect to get larger and/or better accommodations for the same or less money than you would have spent at a Disney property. If you have a large family, this is especially important, as a typical hotel room is not usually large enough. Plus, if you are traveling during the busy holiday seasons, or peak summer/school vacations, you will find it to be much easier to find rooms in a lower price range.

Planning to visit any non-Disney parks or attractions? You can save money here as well, since a number of off-site properties offer discounts to the more popular events and venues. Another cost-saver will be easier access to a greater variety of restaurants and shopping.

When staying off-site, you may find that theme park transportation is included, as well as free breakfast. Many properties have pool areas that are the envy of anything on Disney property, as well as offering suites with mini-kitchens, fitness and recreation opportunities and a host of family/children’s activities.

There is no doubt that you will not have a 24/7 Disney experience if you stay off-site…but you may be one who finds that to be advantageous. There are many who find they just need a break from all that pixie dust…and staying off Disney property can provide that much needed dose of reality every day.

Many folks do not realize that there are several “non-Disney” hotels that are actually on Disney property. You will find a few in Downtown Disney, and then there are the lovely Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin resorts, located within easy distance of both Epcot and Hollywood Studios. In any of these hotels, you will get many of the Disney resort guest benefits, but without the cost that goes along with those benefits. It’s a great compromise for those who want a more Disney experience but with a lower price tag.

Are there any disadvantages to staying off Disney property? The greatest potential problem could be transportation, and this is one are that you should investigate carefully if you are planning on using your hotel’s available shuttle service. For example, some hotels share shuttles, or charge for their use. This can become challenging if you want to take afternoon breaks from the parks. You can rent a car, but you should know that there will be a parking fee, and if visiting on peak holidays, the parking lots may be closed to non-Disney guests. Nevertheless, if you do your research, you will find a number of excellent options where transportation will not be an issue.

Staying in one of the hotels near Walt Disney World should definitely be considered as a great way to save money on your next Disney vacation. Lots of great benefits, and a great price tag: it’s a great combination in today’s economy!

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USA Travel – Miami City Profile

July 3rd, 2009 No comments
by Many Barack

Miami sometimes feels like a huge Hollywood set. The cliches about the city and its illustrious beach community, Miami Beach – nearly all of which are based in fact – are but a small part of Miami’s colourful mosaic.

International financial deals are not the only thing happening in Miami. The city’s concerts, theatre performances, gallery exhibits, ballet companies and museums offer plentiful cultural stimulation and world-class entertainment. Located in picturesque south Florida, Miami is a popular location for television and movie crews.

Fashion photographers from glossy magazines pose their models against the backdrop of the turquoise waters of the Gulf of Mexico or the deep blue Atlantic Ocean. Looking at Miami’s striking skyline, home to corporate headquarters of hundreds of international financial institutions, it is hard to image that until recently southern Florida was a landscape dominated by mosquito-infested swamps. The first Spanish explorers of the region, arriving in 1513 with Ponce de Leon, declared it completely uninhabitable.

The real history of the city, which was founded on 28 July 1896, began with the advent of the railway. Freezing Canadians and New Yorkers climbed aboard to escape to beautiful, sunny Miami. In the 1920s, during the days of Prohibition, Miami was known as a city with legalized gambling and less than serious efforts to enforce the ban on alcohol. The result was a building boom. Little by little, starting with hotels and apartments, the Miami skyline began to rise.

Melting pot for Latin Americans. After Fidel Castro seized power in Cuba in 1959, a stream of refugees poured into south Florida. The impact was enormous. Hoards of Cuban refugees arrived in Miami, settling in the neighbourhood called “Little Havana”. There, salsa music resounds in the streets, men play dominos and chess in the parks, and the air is thick with the aroma of coffee and cigar smoke.

A trip along the palm-tree-lined Ocean Drive, Miami Beach’s famous boulevard in the heart of its famous Art Deco district, offers breathtaking views of the Atlantic Ocean, the beach and, of course, the rich and famous. With its uniquely “Miami Style” Art Deco architecture, the entire district is under historic protection today Rich with pastel colours and full of eclectic details, there is no other cityscape like it on Earth.

Unfortunately, the building boom of the 1920s also caused considerable damage to the natural environment. Over 120 hectares of the unique Everglades wetlands were drained to provide Miami with water and sewage facilities and dry land on which to build. Even today, south Florida draws millions of litre of water from the Everglades.

Interrupting the water cycle that supplies this magnificent natural landscape with moisture and nutrients diminishes the vitality of the biosphere. At present, national parks and wildlife preserves protect barely 20 per cent of the Everglades watershed.. The unique flora and fauna of the Everglades were added to the UNESCO List of World Natural Heritage Sites in 1979. Still, the environment was classified as endangered in 1993.

No stay in Miami would be complete without a short trip to Coral Gables, one of the first planned communities in the country. Distinguished by its beautiful Spanish colonial-style villas, Coral Gables also boasts elegant country clubs, world-class art galleries and the University of Miami.

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Cabo San Lucas – Water Sports in this Lovely Paradise

April 19th, 2009 No comments

Love snorkeling? Or, are you a surfing fanatic? You will love to do it in such a gorgeous place as Cabo San Lucas.

Cabo San Lucas, or Cabo is a place in Mexico that has become a growing world class vacation destination. No wonder they offer a wide variety of recreation and sports and leisure activities. Along the beautiful beaches of Cabo you will find water sports equipment from jet skis to snorkel to boogie boards and you guess it right, they have exciting water sports going on in the area.

Tourists may either kayak or motor across the bay to Lover’s Beach or they may opt to hang out at one of the many beach clubs to pass the day watching tourists and kids playing on the beach. Visiting tourists will surely enjoy the various water sports in Cabo San Lucas.

Snorkeling and scuba diving are also good activities to explore the beauty of the place. If you like underwater adventures, get your wetsuits and go to the beach! The Sea of Cortez will definitely give you an amazing underwater experience.

Divers are often seen exploring the waters near the Pelican Rock, and savoring the beauty of the sandfalls. Fabulous dive sites abound in Cabo and tourists and guests who would want to explore them are often accommodated in arranged schedules.

Private trips for your group can be planned, depending on where you desire to snorkel or dive. You can adore the sites of eels, guitarfish and colorful schools of reef fish and rays. Divers and snorkelers will definitely enjoy an excellent day trip to Cabo Pulmo Marine Park.

Water sports in Cabo are like magnets for surfers who love the waves. Waves of all types can be found at Los Cabos. You will find at the Los Cabos surfers of different nationalities; Italians, Australians, Japanese, Spanish, etc. You will also find among them famous surfers, Hollywood stars, models and even politicians.

While waiting for the waves, tourists get to meet different people and share experiences with them. The same experiences about the board, the waves and the sensation derived from surfing. The sea does not recognize whoever you are, or of what nationality. Los Cabos waters invite you to feel free and enjoy the water sports in Cabo San Lucas.

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Spring Break Travelers Flock to Ft. Lauderdale

April 9th, 2009 No comments

It’s that time again and college students are enjoying their annual Spring Break. Away from exams and writing long papers about Shakespeare and Edgar Allen Poe. Smart college students really get an “A” and move to the head of the class when they choose parksleepfly.com for their Spring Break trip to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Because they know they will save money on a package deal that just can’t be beat – and that they’ll stay in a great hotel that’s near everything they’ll want to enjoy while they are in Ft. Lauderdale.

Choosing parksleepfly.com means that your car is safely parked at an off airport parking facility during your Spring Break vacation. You don’t have to worry about asking a fraternity or sorority member to take you to the airport – only to have them not be able to do it at the last minute. Cabs are expensive and sometimes they simply don’t arrive on time – if they arrive at all. Having the control of driving you and your friends to the airport makes your trip a real breeze. You can leave when you arrive when you want and leave when you want.

College students staying in Ft. Lauderdale have several hotels to choose from in the parksleepfly.com family. Not every hotel is accepted in the parksleepfly.com hotel. When a hotel is a member of the parksleepfly.com family you know you’ll be staying in a quality hotel with excellent customer service – and great amenities like a complimentary continental breakfast and free wireless high-speed Internet in each room.

Customers staying at the Hilton Garden Inn Ft. Lauderdale/Hollywood Airport enjoyed their stay. Many have given them a five-star rating. It’s easy to see why:

This hotel is minutes from the Ft. Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport, Port Everglades Cruise Port, Las Olas Boulevard boutique shopping, Sawgrass Mills, Dolphin Stadium and the lovely South Florida beaches Spring Break students love so much!

The Hilton Garden Inn exceeded my expectations in customer service, cleanliness, and started our cruise off on a very good note. I will parksleepfly.com and this hotel again. Sincerely, Mark Gilley.

- Mark G.

Hotel was above expectations and the staff very attentive and helpful.

- Joan L.

Also in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida are the Hampton Inn & Suites Fort Lauderdale – Airport South FLL and Residence Inn Ft. Lauderdale Plantation. Each of these hotels has been popular with parksleepfly.com guests.

My Beach: Manhattan

February 12th, 2009 No comments

My name: Friday. My town: Los Angeles. My beat: the beach. The City of Angels has a sordid and luminous history, evoking the flickering light of countless fantasies in countless movie theaters and a dark heart that beats to a rhythm all its own. Me, I like to get away by stabbing the old gas-guzzler into drive and making haste for the sun-soaked beaches of Manhattan. Thats right, you heard me: Manhattan. The Big Apple doesnt have dibs on the name, you know, and youll be hard-pressed to find a stretch of beach as fine as this one.

Thought by rights Manhattan is Lenape Indian for “island of many hills” Manhattan Beach is not an island. No man or woman is an island and thats the special something about this beach. People want to get to know one another. They care, they look, they stare. Sometimes, they even say, Hey. Or Hi. Once someone even said, How are you? I was shocked ” they were tourists and that was all right in my book.

The city is a cruel mistress, she has broken lesser souls and weaker hearts, but thats ok. They just shuffle off to Buffalo to pick up the pieces, leaving more room for the likes of you and me. More room at the beach and more room on the dance floor. Didnt think I could dance? Didnt think I was hip to the groove? The lingo? The jive? Well, baby, this Friday is taking it to he next level. Nothing compares to the LA nightlife ” though I hear New York types complain about how the bars close at 2 AM. Were respectful types around here. No sense making a fuss until dawn. Thats what house parties are for. House parties in the Hollywood Hills, that is. Take that, NYC.

Its no small feat to rationalize spending two grand a month on rent, but thems the breaks, kid. You toughen up after the first year. You realize the money is nothing ” so what if your landlord is driving the latest German sports car. You like your Korean jalopy and you like the privilege of telling your lame-o friends in Des Moines that you live in Los Angeles. With the rent comes the perks, and nothing buys you cultural cred like saying you live in Los Angeles.

If a hotel is what you need, a hotel Los Angeles can give. She’s housed generations of tourists before you graced this Island Earth, and she’ll house all the generations to come. As long as Disneyland doesnt relocate to San Diego and the movie studios stay in LA county, this fine city and this gorgeous beach arent going anywhere. Get in your jalopy and get here. Book a plane, train, whatever. This city waits for no one and loves each and every one of you. I know. Im Friday.

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