Town on The French Riviera

As though absorbing the colors and lights of the Cote d'Azur is not enough, visitors to Nice may take their pick from galleries, museums, parks and forests. Travelers to this area may also gain an insight into the cultural heritage of Nice, visiting architectural and historical sites and monuments.

Matisse Museum

Out of the many attractive and interesting sites in Nice, one particularly appealing site is the Matisse Museum. Henri Matisse is considered to be one of the top painters of the 20th century. The town of Nice itself and the colors and lights of the Riviera shores served as a great inspiration for Matisse's work. Matisse lived in the Cimiez region of Nice from the year 1917 until his death in 1954. The Matisse Museum is situated in the town where Henri Matisse lived in Nice. The museum itself is positioned inside a seventeenth century villa that has been completely renovated but the style of the architecture remains to be admired in all its glory and beauty. On the Cimiez hill and among the olive trees, this museum is home to this great painter's personal collection of artistic works.

Permanent exhibitions at the Matisse Museum include artistic creations, such as drawings, paintings, engraving and sculptures from different periods of his life. In addition, there is a new wing to the museum which hosts temporary exhibitions. The museum also exhibits a detailed history of the great artist's life. The museum features photographs and some of Matisse's personal belongings.

It should be noted that regularly on Tuesdays, the museum is closed. As with any museum, it is advisable to check with the museum in advance before visiting, regarding holiday closing dates. General opening times are from 10am to 6pm. Admission charges for this site are 4 Euros and a reduced fee of 2,50 Euros.

As far as accommodation goes, there are several hotels of varying standards and in different price levels that are in close proximity to the Matisse Museum. This means that you can choose a place to stay that is convenient in regards to the sites you would like to visit during your stay in Nice. Thanks to the wonders of modern technology, you may search for a suitable place of lodging on the Internet before finalizing the details of your trip to Nice. Times have changed and the World Wide Web enables you to plan your vacation online.

There are many different sites in the attractive town of Nice and as stated above, the Matisse Museum is certainly well worth a visit. Take a trip to Nice and you can revel in the delightful colors, lights and landscapes of this area that were such an inspiration for great works of art. When choosing a holiday location, don't forget that Nice is more than just a nice place to visit.

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Source: http://www.pcwriters.com/Article/Town-on-The-French-Riviera/100995

Top accolade for Haven's Wild Duck Holiday Park

Haven and British Holidays' Wild Duck Holiday Park has been named among the best in the country by Britain's leading holiday review website.

The caravan and camping park, set in 90 acres of pine, alder and silver birch woodlands at Belton, near Great Yarmouth, was came second in a survey to find the best holiday park.

The popular website, which attracts more than 40,000 "hits" a week, features holidaymakers' reviews of their holidays which can vary from being highly favorable to very critical.

Wild Duck - which last year won a special excellence award after achieving the coveted David Bellamy Gold Conservation Award status for five consecutive years -- was named first runner-up behind another Haven holiday park Littlesea at Weymouth on the Dorset coast.

In the latest review of Wild Duck, a holidaymaker who enjoyed a break there last October gives it 10/10, and says the park "was A1, very clean, friendly staff, beautiful setting and excellent value for money. The caravan was top class and very clean. I would recommend Wild Duck to anyone.

"We saw lots of wild animals in the woods and round our caravan. Overall excellent time!"

Wild Duck is one of four holiday parks in the Great Yarmouth area operated by Britain's leading family holiday company Haven and British Holidays.

Together Wild Duck, Caister Holiday Park, Hopton and Seashore attract more than 10,000 holidaymakers and caravan owners a week during the peak season. They are also major local employers with a total complement of almost 600 Team Members in the summer.

Haven is committed to regular investment in its parks and over the closed winter period parks have benefitted from many upgrades and improvements in facilities including the addition of outside patio areas with awnings, heating and lighting near the main entertainment venues in advance of the smoking ban which comes into effect this summer.

Second runner-up in the survey was Center Parcs Oasis, Whine fell Forest, Cumbria.

Commenting on the first holiday park awards, Chris Brown, Managing Director said: 'These awards are not given out lightly and are a valuable accolade for a holiday park to achieve. It is a great thing for the consumer as they can now know where the best holiday parks are at a click of a button and be as sure as possible of having a great holiday.

'It is especially relevant to the consumer as the awards are given based on their customers' comments and evaluate the park's service, cleanliness, value for money and quality of staff.'

Source: http://www.postarticles.com/Article/Top-accolade-for-Haven-s-Wild-Duck-Holiday-Park/52915

Norfolk Coast

The Norfolk coastline is one of the best-loved and most popular coastlines in the UK. The main reason for its popularity is the enormous diversity, ranging from the traditional seaside resorts of Great Yarmouth and Hunstanton to the upmarket villages and secluded beaches of the North Norfolk coastline.

Geographically the coast stretches from King's Lynn and The Wash in the north, right round to Great Yarmouth at the southern most tip of the county. The long stretch of coastline is home to some of the most protected habitats in the UK, with fragile ecosystems that include heathland, salt marshes and tidal wetland.

This internationally recognised stretch of coastline is home to some of the UK's most important bird reserves, including the RSPB site at Titchwell, which gets over 100,000 visitors a year and is their most popular UK reserve.

Further down the coast it is possible to either walk, a good 4 miles over shingle, or catch a boat from the village of Morston, to see the seal colony at the end of Blakeney Point.

If you are looking for a more traditional seaside resort then Great Yarmouth is definitely for you. Great Yarmouth has a traditional seafront full of shops, amusements and attractions and has two piers. The beach is one of the best on the coast and the famous fish and chips alone are definitely worth the visit.

Hunstanton, at the other end of the coastline, is a slightly more relaxed traditional resort - while still having a good range of attractions. Known to the locals as 'Sunny Hunny' the town is in the unique position of being on the east coast, while facing the west coast. So you can see the sun set over the sea. Further down the coast the resort is also famous for its red and white cliffs.

Just a short drive down the coastline you can find King's Lynn - a great place to explore the history of the county's coastal ports. This was one of the most important historic ports during the middle ages because of its trade with the Hanseatic league, and was renamed King's Lynn, from Bishops Lynn, after the dissolution of the Catholic church by Henry VIII.

In between Great Yarmouth and Hunstanton you can find Sheringham and Cromer. These two small towns both have a rich history for fishing, and the famous Cromer crabs, and in the last 100 years for tourism.

The small resorts offer a quiet and relaxed seaside destination, with local shops, good restaurants, clean beaches, landscaped gardens and links golf courses.

Without doubt one of the most popular and nationally recognised areas of the coast is North Norfolk. This stretch of the coastline, which extends from Hunstanton to Sheringham, is famous for its small flint built house and villages, top quality restaurants and pubs, and wide-open beaches and skies.

The most popular beach in the area is Holkham, which is close to the small seaside town of Wells and the Holkham estate. The beach has been featured in music videos, films and is consistently considered one of the best in the UK, with its wide expanse of golden sands and dunes stretching out towards the sea.

The other thing the area has become famous for is the quality of its restaurants and reputation for being an upmarket holiday destination. This stretches from the celebrity Mecca's of Burnham Market and Brancaster towards the small villages of Cley and Morston. The range of places to eat includes traditional pubs, serving local real ale and well-cooked produce, to Michelin starred restaurants and a wealth of gastro pubs.

So if you are looking for any type of UK coastal break, from bird watching to fine dining, or "kiss me quick" to secluded cottage retreat, the Norfolk coastline has something to offer everyone.

Source: http://www.postarticles.com/Article/Norfolk-Coast/55537

Majorca Holidays End 2007 On A High

Popular Majorca has scored a stunning success this year by being the British holidaymakers island of choice for their annual getaway, and has now capped a successful summer by being top destination for the autumn season too.

One travel site has reported that Majorca, along with Spain's Costa del Sol, are the most heavily booked for the autumn period in Europe, with New York being the top long haul destination for British tourists.

Other areas of Spain are also enjoying an autumn renaissance - notably the Costa Blanca and the Canary Island of Tenerife. Surprisingly Malta is starting to compete with the traditional British getaway favourites.

Malta has enjoyed quite a turn around in her fortunes over the last eighteen months since the Maltese authorities reluctantly agreed to allow low cost airlines to fly to the Mediterranean island. The tourist situation for Malta was so poor at one stage that a British holiday company were seriously considering dropping it from their main brochures, and if others had followed Malta would have been relegated as a mainstream vacation destination to one of niche status for her culture, history, and diving holidays.

Low cost airlines have engineered Malta away from tourist disaster to a far healthier position for 2007, and some 300,000 visitors could be delivered to the island for the 2008 season, as well as giving it an autumn boost this year.

But for all the success of one island in the Mediterranean that Malta has enjoyed in 2007 after turning around an awful 2006, it is really the Spanish island of Majorca that has done best for 2007, consistently attracting tourists throughout the summer, and extending it to the autumn time - good news for the hotel and holiday trade on the island as they see the months of profitabilty extend beyond the traditional ones.

Mallorca as an island has been promoting itself to the UK market by including a team distributing information at London's Victoria Station. Trains from Victoria run several times an hour to London's Gatwick Airport, allowing easy access to Mallorca for Londoners.

The Balearic Islands of which Mallorca is part consist of three islands, as well as Malloca there is Menorca (the smallest island)and and Ibiza. Menorca has a season that traditionally is at its peak early May to end September, but is now trying to extend that from mid April to mid October.

As part of the Balearic Islands, Mallorca has welcomed many visitors back to live full time on the island. Menorca property has proved popular too, for those looking for a gentler pace of life than big sister Mallorca.

Property prices in Mallorca are similar to Menorca property, with a range of apartments and villas in both rural and town locations, and with twenty golf courses plenty of golf course developments too on Mallorca.

Menorca has just the one golf course, recently extended to eighteen holes, and is located in Son Parc, which has a choice of hotels, apartments and villas for holiday makers.

The cost of flying to Mallorca has come down in recent years from most European countries due to low cost airlines, especially in the island's core tourist areas of the United Kingdom and Germany, and last year easyJet started direct flights from London's Gatwick Airport to the sister island of Menorca, as well as serving Mallorca itself.

Despite competition from other destinations, Mallorca looks set to remain a favourite holiday spot for both this year and into 2008.

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Source: http://www.pcwriters.com/Article/Majorca-Holidays-End-2007-On-A-High/101986