Best Beach Holidays - Fernando de Noronha

Beach holidays are by far the most popular type of holidays - the words 'beach' and 'holiday' go hand in hand. The trouble is, there are so many destinations to choose from so deciding where to go is tricky.

Fernando de Noronha, off the coast of Brazil, is regarded as one of the top beach destinations. The fact it is not well known and barely spoken about adds an air of mystery to the location. It is an archipelago comprising of one large, 11 square mile volcanic island, as well as 20 smaller ones. The main island is reachable by plane from inland, and is definitely worth the effort. As your plane descends from the sky, you can see the beautiful turquoise sea and golden beaches and you just know this is somewhere very special.


Fernando de Noronha, Brazil

Scuba diving and snorkeling are two must-do activities here, as well as the sun bathing obviously. The range of aquatic life is spectacular - there are more species of animal here than you can shake a stick at. The dolphins are also a highlight of the islands - the 'spinner' species present here can be regularly spotted leaping from the depths acrobatically.

A holiday here is probably out of the price range of the majority of tourists, but would be excellent as a romantic holiday destination or for in love honeymooners. The best time to go is between September to March, when the weather is best. Brazil's Fernando do Noronha is certainly a top beach holiday destination and a jewel in Brazil's crown.

Turkey

Turkey is a country that is both within Europe and Asia - the Turkish Straits that run through the country in the North West is generally believed to be the splitting point between Europe and Asia. Due to this location, it has a diverse culture that include Eastern and Western traits and characteristics. Turkey is not in the EU either - and as mentioned in my previous posts this is probably the key factor that has led to Turkey becoming the most popular holiday destination in Europe, overtaking Spain. As the Euro has increased in power against the pound, holiday makers are looking further afield to get the best holiday bargains available. Turkey is now on average about £100 cheaper per person than Spain is - this fact carries great weight with cash-strapped tourists eager to save money before worse financial times kick in further down the line.

Turkey posesses many qualities that help it top the list of most popular holiday destinations - it has a diverse history, as it was home to the Ottoman Empire, a powerful empire spanning three continents, it has a good, hot climate, food is good and the people are friendly. Also, there are a range of possible holiday destinations for prospective tourists - breaks to the cites of Turkey such as Istanbul or more relaxing coastal holidays to unwind after a long period of work back home - Turkey provides it all.

Non EU Holiday Destinations

In my last post I talked about how the worsening economy is leading to a surge of people booking their holidays to non EU holiday destinations. Non EU does not necessarily a country that is outside Europe – many European holiday destinations are outside of the EU. The EU stands for the European Union – a political and economic union of 27 member countries. There are still a number of countries within Europe that are not members – these may be worth considering when thinking about where to book your holiday as the Euro will not be used in these countries.

As mentioned before, it is the poor pound sterling to Euro exchange rate that is the main factor here, which has indirectly arisen because of the so called ‘credit crunch’. The value of the pound has fallen because foreign banks and businesses are no longer investing money in this currency, so to encourage people to invest from abroad the price of it has fallen in comparison to the Euro. This has meant the average cost of a holiday to a country using the Euro has risen significantly, leading the public to look further a field in their hunt for a cheap holiday.

There are several Western European counties that do not use the Euro – these are Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and Liechtenstein. In Eastern Europe there are more countries who have remained independent and not entered the EU – such as Croatia, Russia and Turkey.

Out of these, Croatia and Turkey would be both be excellent choices if budget is important. Switzerland is an excellent destination for a keen skier but typically this would be quite expensive anyway. Iceland is renowned as an expensive country due to its high taxes – a pint of beer costs around £6. Russia is also very expensive in some areas – Moscow for example is thought to be the Worlds most expensive city.

Holidays & the Economy

Personally, I'm fed up of people going on about the credit crunch and how we're all going to starve due to a lack of food - and if we don't starve we're going to freeze because gas and electricity prices are sky high. Yes it's probably all true, but unless we work in the Bank of England of happen to own an oil field we can't really do much about it - or is there?

I recently read an interesting article in the Telegraph about how people's choice of holiday destination is changing dramatically due to the faltering British Economy. At the moment the Sterling/Euro exchange rate is at a terrible - 1 Euro costs 95.7 pence. Only a year or two ago a Euro cost us about 60p - the change is dramatic. Add harges placed on cash withdrawls and por exchange rates in some shops and you are basically paying £1 for a Euro. This has led people to look outside the EU for their 2009 holiday destination.



Spain has for a long time been the UK's favourite holiday destination - a country with excellent cheap package deals, good food and excellent weather - a classic destination for us Brits. However, apparently, Turkey has overtaken Spain as the most popular destination for the UK - an astounding fact in my opinion. This is mainly due to the average cost of a holiday to the 2 countries - a holiday to Turkey costs over £100 less, per person, than Spain, partly due to the poor exchange rate.

So in conclusion, there are things we can do to prevent starvation during these harsh economic times, and the public have acted already. A simple change of holiday destination to a potentially cheaper non-EU country can help save our hard earned cash, and maybe our lives too.

Portugal

Portugal is a popular European holiday destination bordering Spain. About half the country's circumference is coastal - one reason why Portugal is one of Europes's best holiday destinations - tourists love the sea!

Portugal has a beutiful mediterranean climate like its Spanish neighbour - another huge draw for holidaymakers for colder countries such as England! In fact Portugal is one of the most popular holiday destinations for the UK - the Algarve region is the 5th most popular destination at present. And it is not hard to see why - it is only a 3 hour flight from England, it is relatively cheap, and has everything most holidaymakers look for in a holiday - great weather, beautiful cuisine, laid-back lifestyle and gorgeous beaches and sea.

The cuisine in Portugal is diverse and caters for everyone. Especially popular along the coast are fish dishes - bacalhau, or dried cod, is a national speciality with hundreds of recipes. Freshly caught grilled sardines are also very popular - tucking into a plate of these while staring out across the ocean is hard to beat. Unless you've also got a nice Sagres beer to go with it as well, perhaps.


Algarve, Portugal

Berlin Club Scene

Berlin plays host to some of the best clubs in the world, making it one of the top holiday destinations for anyone really into their dance music. At the moment, minimal and techno are the sounds of Berlin, sounds that can be heard in a large number of Berlin bars as well as in the clubs.

Tresor is one of the best underground clubs in Berlin. It recently moved from its last home, to a huge abandoned power plant in Mitte, Central Berlin. It had previously been located in a much smaller vault (English word for Tresor) underneath the Wertheim department store, which closed in 2005 due to rent problems. The new site is huge, the main attraction being the basement main room, entered via a pitch black 30m long narrow corridor lit only by a flickering light on the roof. DJ’s such as Jeff Mills, Josh Wink, Richie Hawtin, Sven Vath and Cristian Vogel are just some of the DJ’s to have played their in the past.

Berghain/Panorama Bar is another of the best techno clubs in Berlin. Found in a huge renovated power plant, it is easy to get lost in the club, which is split into Berghain, a huge cavernous main room specialising in techno, and Panorama Bar on the 1st floor, which has a more housey feel. The club strictly prohibits any photography within the club to preserve the secrecy of what is a fairly underground establishment, despite its size. The door policy is also famous for being selective – tourists will usually be turned away at the doors if there is any suggestion they may not be there for the music. Once inside the club, however, the atmosphere is electric and full of hedonistic clubbers. Nooks and crannies are in abundance and people indulging in sexual acts can often be spotted in these – nobody bats an eyelid, all in a nights work. The parties at Berghain are often extremely long – leave the club at 6AM and the queue to get in will often be as long as it was at 12PM when you came in.

In our opinion the clubs in Berlin are some of the best in the world. Often unique and with really up for it, friendly crowds, the clubs in Berlin make the city one of the best holiday destinations in the world.

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Best Holiday Destinations - Germany

Germany is located in Central Europe, bordering several countries including Holland, Belgium, France and Poland. It is a country with an incredibly exciting history, but at the same time is at the cutting edge of modern culture, making in a top holiday destination for anyone.

The Capital of Germany is Berlin, a highly interesting city, with an excellent mix of historical focus and entetainment. The bars and clubs in Berlin are on the whole excellent, with fine German beers being served at reasonable prices. The clubs are also good, a few of the clubs here are regarded as being some of the best in the World, such as Berghain/Panorama Bar and Tresor. Please see the separate page on Berlin clubs for more information on these places.

Berln has had a tough time due to the role of Germany in World War 1 and World War 2. Many of the buildings here were destroyed, so there is a mix of old and new buildings. The Reichstag, or German Government, has been rebuilt since WWII for example and is now topped by an incredible glass dome that you can walk up fora small fee. The guided tours in the city centre are highly recommended - these can be done on foot or by bike. Some are even free although a tip is probably expected!


Berlin at night

Overall, Germany is an incredibly diverse place, and should appeal to all types of people, no matter what their interests. This makes Germany one of the best holiday destinations in the World.