Best Winter Holiday Destinations - Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt

With summer slowly approaching (it still feels like October in the UK), its time to think about getting away in the new year. If you think you might have a few pennies left over from your annual Christmas shopping, then you should think about jetting off for a week or so in search of some winter sun.

One destination that isn't likely to disappoint is the Egyptian Red Sea Resort of Sharm el Sheikh. This holiday destination has soared in popularity over the last decade or so and is now a well-established holiday resort on the south coast of the Sinai Peninsula. In 1980, there was practically no sign of any tourist industry at all – it was just a small port town. However, in the 80’s large sums of money was invested in the area, resorts were constructed and large chains of restaurants and up-market hotels, such as the Marriott, Four Seasons and Ritz-Carlton, were persuaded to start up in the area, helping to begin pull in tourists from abroad.

Today, roughly 100 resorts exist in the area, compared to just 3 in 1982. Of course, it wasn’t just the opening of hotels and restaurants that led to a boom. The area needed a wide portfolio of qualities to become a major player in the tourism industry. The hot, dry climate was one major factor – as well as the miles and miles of natural sandy white beaches. The dramatic terrain, with Mount Sinai part of the backdrop, was another draw that gave the area an attractive, romantic image rather than just being another town in the middle of the desert.

Being on the Red Sea, Sharm el Sheikh has a wide variety of water sports on offer, including water-skiing, paragliding and jet skiing. However, it is largely via the help of world-class scuba diving and snorkelling that holidays in Sharm el Sheikh have become one of the best holiday destinations in the world for water sports. Countless varieties of fish, including reef sharks and hammerheads, and beautifully diverse coral reefs make the undersea kingdom here extremely varied and enjoyable to swim in.

Hammerhead Sharks, Sharm el Sheikh

 

In terms of the weather in winter, temperatures average around 20°C in December-February time, so temperatures are much cooler than the summer months, however days still have long periods of sunshine making it a pleasant contrast from the grim British winter.

Sharm el Sheikh's many virtues ensure tourism in the area continues to thrive, attracting visitors from around the world. You can find return flights to Sharm el Sheikh for under £200 this winter which is great value. So if you are looking to get away this winter, choose Sharm el Sheikh - one of the best holiday destinations in winter. 

What is your favourite holiday destination?

We've been running this blog for a good few years now and we've covered a fair few holiday destinations - from Austria to Australia, Turkey to Thailand. We have been to, and reviewed, so many great places, each unique and with their own qualities. It's hard for us to decide on what we feel is the best holiday destination in the world. We've been running a "Vote" in the right sidebar but the results are also inconclusive from you as well.

We want you to write in with your favourite holiday destination - you can write as much as you like, on the topic of your choice. Just tell us why you think your choice of city/country deserves to be crowned the Best Holiday Destination. We'll be publishing the best articles and will even send the winning article some Amazon vouchers to help you stock up on goodies for your next holiday.

Email us at ultimateholidaydestinations@gmail.com with your suggestions. Happy writing!

Best stag weekends - Prague, Czech Republic

-->Need help planning where to go on your stag weekend? You've come to the right place. There are loads of great places to go for your big do, many in the UK, many abroad. Recently foreign destinations have soared in popularity, especially holiday destinations in Eastern Europe. Bratislava, Warsaw, Krakow - all big with gangs of youths ready for their stag or hen weekends. But out of everywhere on offer, one place stands out as the most popualar stag and hen destination - Prague. Located in the Czech Republic, Prague has become synonimous with groups of revellers out to have a good time.
So what does Prague have to offer? Well, everything you could think really when it comes to activities and nights out. The city itself is relatively small which makes getting around nice and easy - a couple of central areas, especially Wisconsin Square where much of the citys nightlife revolves. The city is also extremely cheap - people often talk of 50p pints in the bars and this is true if you pick the right watering hole. This can make for a really cheap night - generally any beer won't cost you more than £1 so a night of 10 pints or so won't be much more than a tenner!

Another key element of many a stag weekend are the strippers! And Prague certainly has alot to offer in this department. There are many establishments that offer this kind of service in safe surroundings. Prices have risen slightly in recent years so don't expect a dance for £2 but prices are certainly fair, and all the clubs have a host of beauties to choose from. Prague is pretty much busy all year round so you should feel very safe entering this kind of place or even just walking around - certainly any of the horror stories you hear about Eastern Europe are very very rare here - the locals are friendly if you are friendly back to them!


Prague at night

The city also offers much more for stag weekends apart from these two things. Shooting, skiing, brewery trips, archery, bobsleds and golf are all on offer nearby Prague. And hen weekends will love the array of shopping on offer!

All in all Prague is certainly one of the best holiday destinations for a good stag or hen weekend. With so much on offer, at cheap prices, the city has pretty much everything you could ask for from an eventful weekend.

How to Choose your Holiday

The world is becoming more affordable and more accessible which is great; the only problem is, this makes the decision of where you should go on holiday this year, and indeed which type of holiday you should take, all the more difficult. Do you want to spend two weeks sunbathing at the beach or gallivanting around art and culture filled cities? A mix of both? Perhaps you want something altogether different, such as a week spent in remote, idyllic countryside with nothing more than a nice glass of wine and a good book. Or, you might want to be get your heart pumping with an adventure and activity filled break. The choices are absolutely endless! If you’re struggling to decide what type of holiday you should take and where, keep following our blog which will help you determine what is the right choice for you, along with some perfect holiday destinations that won’t break the bank. Let us know what your output is! 

Happy christmas and have a great new year!

A Best Holiday Destinations special warning to ALL SWIMMERS

Here at Best Holiday Destinations we want to look out for our readers. So we thought we should publicise the following little incident which took place in Croatia - one of our top summer holiday destinations. 

So please...if you do go swimming this summer...please try not to get your testicles caught in your deckchairs. You have been warned.

Big Holiday – New York, USA (part 2)

Welcome to part 2 of our look at New York City. Day two took us up to Central Park – a huge 843 acre public park in the heart of Manhattan. It occupies roughly 60 blocks (streets) in length so to walk the entire length from top to bottom would take almost an hour. We explored the southern half of the park, which was a hive of activity. A range of sports were being played round the park, one of several lakes was scattered with rowing boats, while kids played on the rock formations which were originally imported from a tectonic field in Canada.

Central Park Boating Lake

Several pedestrianised roads run through the park which helps it gain its reputation as one of the roller blading capitals of the world. Joggers and walkers of all ages also occupy these lanes. There’s also a range of interesting architecture around the park including Cleopatra’s Needle, a castle, fountains and such like. The scale meant we didn’t even see the Zoo or the famous ice rink. One of the highlights was a DJ playing funky house in a clearing, with dancers of literally all ages form 4-90 dancing away to the beats. Something we certainly wouldn’t get here in England.

Autumn in Central Park

Times Square, a few blocks down from the park, was our next stop. A major intersection in the city, the square boasts enormous neon advertising boards on all sides, and its aesthetics combined with its situation in the midst of the theatre district, has helped make it the worlds most visited tourist attraction with 39 million visitors annually. It’s scale really helps it s**t on Piccadilly Circus, London’s only “comparable” neon advertising tourist attraction. There’s hundreds of theatre/comedy salesmen loitering while there’s a range of shops and sights that link around the square itself. Its also host to one of the most famous New Years Eve parties in the world, featuring the Ball Drop at midnight. One thing to note is many of the bars, clubs and restaurants nearby are of course tourist traps offering average food or drink at expensive prices. We avoided the area for our night out and instead headed back to East Village for some exceptional BBQ ribs and chicken (with the whole caboodle of classic sides, coleslaw, fries etc) washed down with some tasty US lager.

Times Square, New York

One thing to note when visiting New York, or most of the US for that matter, is that tipping is essentially compulsory. Due to low minimum wage, waitresses are relying on tips to make up the bulk of their income. 15% is standard anywhere where you are served, including when buying a beer in a pub. Failure to tip will result in 1)being called a cheapskate or more likely 2) being thrown out of the establishment and told never ever to return. Something to note when budgeting for your trip.

Part 3 coming soon on Best Holiday Destinations! Email us if you have any queries.

Big Holiday – New York, USA (part 1)

Nowhere says Christmas more than New York. So when debating where to go on holiday this December for a wintery city break, New York was the first destination to come to mind. And eight hours after jetting off from Heathrow, we were touching down at JFK for five days of sights, culture, food, drink and tinsel at surely one of the best holiday destinations in the World.

We stayed at Hotel 17 – a cheap hotel in Manhattan’s East Village with shared bathrooms, small but comfortable rooms, and above all an excellent location just minutes from East Village’s bars, cafes and restaurants and also really close to New York’s subway system. Our first stop was Wendy’s burger joint for a taste of NY’s fast food scene. Pulp Fiction’s Big Kahuna Burger scene sprang to mind. We then proceeded to hit the East Village bar scene – in our first bar a round of Jaegarbombs was greeted with an “Oh my God you’re from England” from the barwoman, and a generous 30% off the tab to ensure we had “the best introduction to NY possible”. This kind of friendliness was encountered throughout the trip, dispelling the myth of mardy, arrogant and impatient New Yorkers (towards British tourists at least). The highlight from the 1st night was Old McSorley’s Ale House, one of the oldest pubs in New York boasting some tasty ales. The constant buy one get one free policy and sawdust on the floors help create a great atmosphere in a historic pub.

New York Cab

Day two saw us travel south on the subways to Wall Street, with a wander round the financial district in the Southern tip of Manhattan. The Statue of Liberty is visible from the riverside if you don’t fancy a ferry over – it’s current renovation works make it visible from the outside only so no climbing to the top of the head for the time being. A trip to the sombre Ground Zero site is a must – you need a free ticket in advance to gain access to the site itself, which is now home to two huge waterfalls where the Twin Towers once stood. Otherwise the visitors centre is just off-site which again is an emotional experience. One World Trade Centre, the new flagship tower in the rebuilding project, is growing quickly (see below) and is beginning to command the Downtown skyline.

One World Trade Centre

Our evening took us north to Broadway, for a stand-up comedy show. We were sold the tickets at Wall Street, with Chris Rock on the lineup and plenty of free drinks included in the measly $15 price tag. Unfortunately, upon arrival we discovered Chris rock was NOT on the lineup and only one free drink per person was provided. We had fallen for a classic tourist sales scam. After complaining to the manager we were given plenty of free drink and had a really good night but it is something to watch out for, street vendors are everywhere touristy in NY and many are out to make a quick sale.

Part 2 coming soon – Times Sq, Central Park & street dancers on the way - subscribe to keep updated!

Happy Christmas everyone!