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Monaco: The Wealthy Conclave of Europe

hotelpepper — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 23:44:23 +0000

Perched over the Mediterranean Ocean, Monaco is a picturesque country. With very high prices, most travellers can only afford to spend one day in this conclave for the rich.

Monaco

The principality of Monaco is a bizarre little place. Situated to the east of the French Riviera, the country is very small and dominated by the city of Monte Carlo. Everything in the principality caters to the wealthy, so budget travellers beware.

Historically, the Grimaldi royal family has and continues to dominate Monaco. There influence is everywhere and, as you’ve probably noticed, one of them seems to be in tabloid news every day. Regardless, they have managed to stay in power for hundreds of years and turned Monaco into the expat haven of Europe through lax tax laws.

Monte Carlo

Monte Carlo is the only city of significance in Monaco. The city is perched above the ocean and fairly dramatic. There is an old Europe charm, but modern hotels, resorts and so on are blended in nicely. Instead of Ford or Toyota dealerships, Monaco is peppered with Ferrari and Porsche stores. This upgrade in cost occurs consistently throughout the city and it is the only place I’ve ever paid $75 for dinner in a Mexican restaurant.

No mention of Monte Carlo would be complete without mentioning Formula One racing. Every year, the city hosts the Monaco Grand Prix on the tiny streets of the city. The race is a bit boring because it is nearly impossible to pass, but attending the race is definitely something you should do at least once.

The Monaco Grand Prix is the coming out party for the extremely wealth. The harbour is full of yachts that make an oil tanker look small. There is more jewellery and glitz than you can possibly imagine. The decadence factor is through the roof and the people watching aspect is incredibly entertaining. Although you may come away a bit disgusted by the over indulgence, you’ll definitely come away with some good stories.

Monaco and Monte Carlo are definitely worth a one-day trip if you are visiting the French Riviera. Just make sure you’ve warmed up your credit cards.

Photo by Damian Morys Foto

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Sweden Travel: Stockholm and Karlskrona

hotelpepper — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 23:43:43 +0000

Known as the land of Vikings, Sweden is actually an odd mix of cosmopolitan cities and vast stretches of wide-open spaces. For budget travellers, Sweden is a bit expensive.

Stockholm

An incredibly beautiful city in the summer, Stockholm is the Venice of Northern Europe. Like Venice, Stockholm is built on the water with canals and waterways criss crossing the city. Instead of marshland, Stockholm is actually a collection of dozens if not hundreds of little islands.

Despite the beauty, Stockholm can seem a bet sterile for a big city. Large parts of the city seem to be devoted completely to either providing working spaces or residences. With a little digging, however, you’ll find the city has much to offer.

To get a taste of the real Stockholm, throw away your travel guide and head to the Sodermalm area. Sodermalm predates the modern areas of the city and provides a glimpse into the past. In the neighbourhood, you’ll find authentic old pubs, hole in the wall shops selling all manner of strange things and artist enclaves. During the summer, Sodermalm has plenty of outdoor cafes and a friendly feel.

Karlskrona

If naval history is your thing, Karlskrona gives even St. Petersburg a run for the money. The entire city has been designated a historical site and is rife with the naval history of Sweden. Attractions include naval museums, submarines and a variety of ships from differing eras.

While naval history dominates Karlskrona, the city has much more to offer in atmosphere. The older sections of the city have a heavy baroque style whether for architecture, streets or epic park areas. There isn’t anything particular to point out, but it is a good city to relax in during the summer. If you need a couple of days off from racing around Europe, Karlskrona is a good place to recharge.

Like all of the Nordic countries, Sweden is visually stunning during the summer. While the long days give you plenty of opportunity to roam, high prices can put a crimp in the ol’ travel budget.

For more on Sweden travel and hotels, check out the pepper!

Photo by hector melo

Thai Massage

hotelpepper — Sun, 14 Aug 2011 23:34:18 +0000

Massage is a method of treating illness that has been used successfully for a very long time, in fact for more than two thousand years. One of the service industries that we are proud of features a combination of the science of Thai Traditional Massage and the curative properties of Thai herbs in promoting healthiness and beauty.

Thai Traditional Massage is a globally renowned science, another charm of Thailand’s uniqueness. Every pressure point of massage brings miraculous relief. The traditional massage, a truly unique science of Thai is performed by personnel with skills passed down form generations to generations. It can be said that Thai Traditional Massage is a cultural heritage whereby those experiencing it can feel the culture there of and Thai uniqueness in every touch. These are in addition to the relaxation and relief from the massage.

Each massage session features the use of natural Thai herbal medicines. This means that not only can Thai Traditional massage expel fatigue and tension but can also effectively remedy ailments related to muscles and bones. The extraordinary properties of both herbs and massage have conserved them and can be used complementary medicine nowadays.

Is it time you travelled to Thailand and enjoyed an authentic Thai massage? Book yourself a hotel in Thailand today and relax!

Photo by visit~fingerlakes

The lowdown on china travel and hotels

hotelpepper — Sat, 13 Aug 2011 23:31:47 +0000

China is the land of rich history & has contributed a lot in sphere of philosophy. However, demographically China is the most populous country that they have today followed by India. The commonplace life & activity of the place can be enjoyed by taking on to the streets of the Chinese cities.

The fragrance of fish, lobsters., the sturdy Great Wall, the broken hush of winds by the Martial Arts, the grand museums & unpretentious down to earth people.welcome you to the third largest country on the globe-China. China is universally known not for any single reason. The country has earned remarkable name not in electronics & technology but it also surpasses plenty of countries in its receiving tourists’ attention. The charisma of China is such that people from all over the world endeavor to bask at least two times in the Chinese glory.

A Brush with the Chinese Cities

Like any other country, China has its own network of cities. But unlike plenty of other cities, the Chinese metropolises are swarming with people. This is because the place has an exclusive charm & unique assets that lure the people all over the world. The first city that hogs limelight besides Hong Kong is the capital city Beijing.

Are you trying to make your way through the bustling population? Walking down the street have you encountered the world’s third tallest TV tower i.e. The Oriental Pearl TV Tower? And do you think there’s no end to the place you are in?…You have entered the by far the largest metropolis of the world: Shanghai . Along with these magnets, The Tomb of Emperor Qin Shi Huang-Xian where this foremost emperor of China is believed to be yet lying in a single piece is a site that summons plenty of visitors. The Shanghai Museum is worth visiting to view some unique relics of China. The place can be a center for a thrilling nightlife. There are beautiful night clubs & bars, Caribe Bar being a frequently budding four. Some vibrant streets of Shanghai are a perfect place to shop. From sparkling glass items to exclusive china-ware, everything is at hand.

Beijing is one of the wonderful cities that can keep all its visitors glued to it. two times you decide to step in this city, scores of attractions await your encounter. The pleasant weather of Beijing is a nice reason to go for a stroll & water & other games in the Beijing Amusement Park. As shortly as you enter the place, get ready to discover the child in you for the rides like roller coaster, bumper cars, paddle boats etc. won’t at any cost let you to ignore them. Beijing also hosts a recreation center popularly known as The Beijing Recreation Center. This center invites people of all age groups for there are multitude of games like poker, bowling, electronic golf, squash, tennis & billiards. The discotheque, fitness room, sauna & mahjong room are added pulls. The Summer Palace (Yiheyuan) at Beijing with its archaic temples, pavilions, huge mansions, lakes etc. make a superb picnic spot. Your vacation can be an experience of fun with learning when you enter the eminent Beijing Museum of Natural History. Also to behold is the China Aviation Museum that lies on the outskirts of Beijing. This museum has about 200 planes & the aircrafts etc. used during the World War II. Finally shopping in Beijing can be enjoyed two times you take on to the Wangfujing Business Street of Beijing. From here you can take home books, amazing handicraft items, medicines, electronic gadgets & almost everything you need in your routine life.

The Sites Globally Known

The glorious city of Hong Kong needs no introduction. it’s already established itself as the Asia’s world city. plenty of attractions of the place also include the Hong Kong Space Museum that is one amongst the largest planetariums in the world. it is an educational site for children as well as adults that reveal some of the baffling facts of the universe. When it comes to food, generally four cuisines are found in China- Shandong, Sichuan, Guangdong, Fujian, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Hunan & Anhui. Few restaurants in Hong Kong serve ‘vegetarian pork’ & ‘vegetarian chicken’. The dishes made of Soyabean are difficult to be distinguished from the real ones. Hong Kong is an ideal place to shop. The Times Square is a recommendable venue that welcomes you with numerous shops. there’s anything & everything from dazzling jewelry, garments & antiques to sports goods & toys.

The Great Wall of China speaks through itself. Besides the historical significance the site that makes through the wonders of the world, exerts a pull on each & every person that comes to China. The Grand Canal of China that has 60 bridges & 24 locks has always been a center of worldwide attention. Not to be forgotten is the Mt. Huangshan that is known for its deformed pine trees & springs. You can trek up the Mt. Huangshan or take a tram to have an exotic & breathtaking view of the mountain as well as the entire China.

For more on China hotels and accommodation, search hotelpepper!

Photo by exfordy

Your Holiday and Hotel In Tuscany

hotelpepper — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 23:24:19 +0000

A region on the West coast of Italy, Tuscany is a fantastic destination for a truly unique vacation. Lying on the Tyrrhenian Sea Tuscany benefits from great beaches on one side and yet is also surrounded my magnificent countryside on the other. Major towns and cities in the area include Pisa, the location of the famous leaning tower and Florence, two of Italy’s most visited places.

Tuscany is divided into regions, one of which is called the Chianti Classico. For those of you who enjoy a glass of wine you may recognise the word Chianti as it is one of Italy’s finest exports. For this reason, the area is dense with vineyards, surrounded by small towns, castles and villas and makes a lovely change from the hustle and bustle found in many of Italy’s other regions and large cities.

To really get a feel for the rural area it is recommended that you utilise “agritourism” as your accommodation. This is a nice change from standard hotels as it involves staying on a farm or vineyard in a spare room, apartment or additional housing area which is rented out by farmers to supplement their income. Many of these are well established and offer the additional facilities a hotel may have, such as a swimming pool. If you are staying within the main accommodation with the family, your meals may well be included and you can be sure of a fantastic home cooked Italian feast every day of your stay. Should you be in self-contained accommodation you will find that facilities to make your own meals will be available.

There are also plenty of standard hotels in Tuscany that will take your fancy too.

Tuscany covers an area of 22,990 square kilometres, making it the fifth largest region in Italy. Included in this are the group of islands called the Tuscan Archipelago, the largest of which is called Elba. This is another much visited destination in the region due to its natural beauty and its artistic history, in common with much of Tuscany.

Tuscany boasts an impressive artistic history, as it is credited with being the birthplace of the Italian Renaissance movement. This manifests itself in the traditional form of art, such as paintings, many of which are displayed in the many museums in the area, the most famous of which is the Uffizi in Florence. Other mediums to have benefited from the Renaissance include sculpture and architecture. Many examples of these, particularly the architecture, can be stumbled upon in the streets, even in the small and remote villages which remain largely unexplored by tourists.

Check out Italian and Tuscany hotels on hotelpepper

Photo by francesco sgroi

Wine Travel

hotelpepper — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 23:17:34 +0000

Wine has been an integral part of many civilizations since a long time. Wine formed an important part of the culture in many countries ever since the origin of mankind. Many of our wine making skills dates back to our ancestors who originally invented the process of producing the finest wines in the world. Although the methods for fermenting grapes to produce wine may have grown more refined today but their basics originate from the procedures laid down by our ancestors. Many of the craziest people in world hang about at different places to experience the finest wine quality produced throughout the globe. These trips for tasting wines are growing more and more popular each day. Exclusive visits to specific wine producing areas are planned for an exotic experience of tasting wine at a place where it originates.

Many of the countries like Italy, Spain, Portugal, Australia, Germany, California and those in the Mediterranean region are all known for producing wine. Yet the finest wines in the present day scenario are believed to come from France. France has lately emerged as most popular wine producing country offering too many varieties of wines available throughout the world.

Recreational trips are developing many new themes for travel each day and the tour operators are coming up with new ideaís to attract prospective customers. Due to the ever-growing popularity of wine in our community many wine tasting trips are organized either individually or by groups. Also many tour operators organize trips to wine producing regions where wine lovers can have great pleasurable moments. Trips can be to any local wine rearing area or somewhere far off where one can reach comfortably only through air. Some places are very famous for making finest wines and people are usually attracted to the popular spots that produce wines so that they can taste the best wines at their original place. Also many high profile companies that produce wine send invitations to their valued customers as a business promotion plan, so that the customers can have a taste of the recently launched flavors of wine. Whatever be the reason a wine tasting trip is always an exhilarating experience for a wine explorer.

Wine tasting trips can last for a day, a week or more than that depending on the available time and the choice of destination. Many tour organizers also combine wine trips with an exotic location for lodging and a lavish food style coupled along the trip so that the travellers have an experience of lifetime. Among all possible destinations France has emerged as the mast preferred spot for wine enthusiasts. It gives a feeling like experiencing heaven on earth when one is on any personalized wine exploration tour.

Wine exploration can be great for wine novices and wine experts as it makes them familiar with the most popular wines and also the best selected ones. Anyone serving wine for tasting needs to take care of every small details of the surrounding to create a perfect ambience for the occasion . The glasses used should be tapering towards the sides and the color of class should always be transparent. One must remember that visitors are here to taste wine and not to drink it hence the quantity poured must be very small around one-third the size of glass. Enthusiasts of wine always immensely cherish wine exploration trips.

For hotels for your wine travel plans, check hotelpepper today!

Photo by jenny downing

Guide to best family beaches in usa

hotelpepper — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 22:15:39 +0000

Beaches have always been a hot favorite as vacation spots. When one needs an escape from their daily chores the gusting waters at the sea provide a perfect sight to sooth the senses. Nothing is more rejuvenating than the best of U.S. beaches. Among top rated beaches in U.S. is the Fort Desoto Park’s North Beach, St Petersburg, Florida.

The beach is a natural treasure for the city and accounts for majority of popularity enjoyed by it. It offers excellent opportunity for variety water games including kayaking, canoeing, boating, fishing, swimming, biking, camping and bird watching. A specialist attraction of the place is a dog park that enables one to go touring with their animal partners. Another vital facility offered here is ample parking space that is an essential requirement for any beach to be successful and popular. Concerned officers and administrators, who work to educate public about environmental concerns of the sea, contribute to enhance popularity of the beach through planned management and smart projects.

Ocracoke Islands, Outer Banks, North Carolina is another favorite beach for vacationers. Ocracoke Islands being surrounded by water on all sides is reachable only by air or water and is a part of Hyde County. Its banks spread to around 16 miles offering all possibilities for surfing, fishing and swimming. Many birds that migrate from water and land on the eastern flyway present exotic view for bird lovers.

One more beach adding to U.S. list of admired coastlines is Hanalei Bay, Kauai, Hawaii. The region offers excellent opportunities for high surfers and serves as a contest site for expert surfers. However there might even be dangerous waves at specific time spans. Both Amaama Road and Hee Road lead to Waioli Beach Park. Another popular coast is Hanauma Bay, on the island of Oahu that is essentially an underwater park.

Florida boasts of having finest coastlines that spread around 1,100 miles. It has beaches to suit everyone’s taste. Shell Key, St. Pete Beach offers best birding opportunities with bird sanctuary spread more than half of the area. There is minimal concrete on the surface and consists of only natural beauties. Bahia Honda State Park is supreme tropical seashore revealing clear, gentle water. It serves as a tropical heaven on earth with swimming opportunities. Sebastian Inlet State Park at south of Melbourne Beach is excellent for surfing and is treated as capital of east coast. Another attraction of Florida’s beaches is that of South Walton famous for its soothing effects on feet. The gleaming sand on the beach provide exciting experience when walking bare foot. This is basically due to fact that this sand is composed mainly of pure quartz that has been brought down by Appalachian Mountains. The list of Florida’s superb coastlines extends to many other beaches but giving space to other seashores in U.S. are the following water bodies.

Massachusetts, Coast Guard Beach at Cape Cod is major swimming beach during summer season. The region has limited parking space and even that remains closed during summer days. Visitors to the place are taken to and fro by specific shuttle bus services provided at those days. The place is excellent for hiking opportunities.

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Photo by visualpanic

Holidays in Portugal

hotelpepper — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 22:14:27 +0000

The Madeira island group belongs to Portugal and is in the Atlantic Ocean. Madeira translated means wood. Their main island is also called Madeira with its 736 square kilometres it is the largest of the island group of Portugal. The group is formed by five islands. Madeira and Porto Santo are the only ones inhabited. The other three are Deserta Grande, Ilhau Chao and Bugio and they are just 14 square kilometers in size.

Lisbon is the largest city of Portugal and also the capital city of the country. It is located on the Atlantic coast and is one of the most important port cities in Europe. Lisbon has about 518,000 inhabitants. The weather in Lisbon in the summer is very nice, because it is not too hot and in winter it is very mild. In summer there is often coastal fog. The city also has soccer teams such as the Benfica Lisbon, whose home games in Estadio de Luz are fought.

The island of Madeira with its capital Funchal has an area of 794 square kilometres. It belongs to the same group of islands of Madeira and is the largest island in this archipelago. About 265,000 people live on the island. The weather on this island is very tropical. In winter the daytime temperatures are about 15 degrees Celsius. During the summer months temperatures rise up far beyond the 20 degrees Celsius mark. Ideal conditions for a quick last minute trip or for the tourists, with his whole family arrives.

The second largest city of Portugal is Porto. This town is located in the northwest of the country and has nearly 330,000 inhabitants. Porto is famous mainly for its port wine. The wine is deep in the cellars of Porto where he stored for at least two years to mature. For soccer fans of FC Porto is of course a concept. The Soccer Association in the prime league in Portugal plays its home games bears in the Estadio do Drageo. This stadium was also the2004 European Football Championship.

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Photo by Fr Antunes

Ideas for a Stag Weekend in Brighton

hotelpepper — Sat, 06 Aug 2011 22:00:22 +0000

Bright lights, bright folks, Brighton – the fastest growing venue for stag weekends in the UK. Brighton has always been known for its party-by-the-sea atmosphere, and it just keeps getting better. With a full slate of clubs and pubs from the posh to the dodgy, there’s something to fit any stag night theme from the staid to the over-the-edge. If you’re looking for a top spot to hold your stag weekend, Brighton is the place to be.

Brighton’s beaches are spectacular – and just the place for a round of watersports to prime the pump for evening festivities. Whether your lot prefer a beach barbecue with volleyball and the best scenery to be found anywhere (and we’re not talking about the cliffs here) or something more energetic, Brighton offers unique and unusual stag weekend activities that can’t be found anywhere else. Spend a wet and wild weekend on the water with activities like kayaking, wakeboarding, waterskiing and Zap Cats, and finish up your night at a top VIP night club. (Hint: if your stag weekend in Brighton was arranged by a tour operator, you’ll have no worries about queues – you can arrive in a limo or a party bus and be ushered right past the waiting throng.)

Brighton is host to a full schedule of party activities from the wild to the sedate. If paintball and extreme sports aren’t quite the ticket for your stag weekend in Brighton, how about a vineyard tour, a night at the Casino or an afternoon of golf on one of Brighton’s greens? And of course, there’s no saying that you can’t mix it up with a day of karting or kayaking followed by a night at one of Brighton’s premiere lap dance clubs and a day at the race to recover.

Whatever type of event suits you best, Brighton is sure to provide it. A tour operator that specialises in creating custom stag weekends can help you put together the perfect goodbye to bachelorhood for your mate.

Need a hotel for Brighton? Use the pepper!

Photo by dogfrog

For the perfect beach destination make it Mauritius (Part 2)

hotelpepper — Mon, 09 May 2011 17:26:42 +0000

The events we talk about in part 1 of this series of posts are however very recent. About eight million years ago, the island emerged from the depths of the sea as result of volcanic activity. Occupying 1860 sq km, it is situated just above the Tropic of Capricorn, 890 km to the east of Madagascar. Rising from the sea, the central plateau formation is about 400 m above sea level. There are mountains scattered in the island, and a few peaks, the highest of which reaches 820 m.

As a country, Mauritius includes the islands of Rodrigues and Agalega, the Cargados Carajos Shoals and a few smaller mostly uninhabited islands. Mauritius is almost wholly ringed by a coral reef that is reputed to be the worlds third largest. Both the Dutch and the French were extremely reckless in allowing the uncontrolled invasion of indigenous forests. Today, less than 2% of these forests remain. Many of the nearly 700 species of indigenous plants are threatened with extinction. Starting from the late 1970′s, a belated but systematic effort has been underway to conserve the unique flora of the island.

Nature

The wildlife faces similar dangers. In the first place, animal migration to this isolated island was by air or sea only, greatly limiting the diversity of species. The animals the Dutch found included out-of-size reptiles and flightless birds. But except for bats, there were no mammals and no amphibians at all. The animals brought aboard ships by man include monkeys and rats – thanks to the Portuguese, while the Dutch take credit for deer and wild boar. Some of these animals threaten to choke the life out of indigenous species – they eat their eggs, and even their young.

Mauritius is not all bad news for nature lovers – there are plenty of birds and marine life is abundant. However, some of the endemic bird species, such as Mauritius kestrel, echo parakeet and pink pigeon number not more than a few hundred. Such are now under some form of captive breeding program, with the hope of raising their numbers.

The island’s maritime zone boasts more than 1,000 species of marine life- fishes, shells and mollusks, in numbers beyond count. The spectacular way to explore the spectacular underwater world is onboard a submarine. The sub also allows you to see some ship wrecks dating back to the Dutch period.

Activities

You can swim at various places at beaches, lagoons and inlets. Swimming beaches are best to the north, though there are other good sites to the southwest and to the west near Flic en Flac. The west coast offers good sites for surfing at Tamarin, and diving at Flic en Flac. At Grand Bay beach, you get good shopping, nightclubs, bars, and restaurants and the chance to interact with locals. In addition, the swimming, surfing, sailing and angling is good. From here, you can also make a boat excursion of the islands to the north.

In the islands’ interior, there are good opportunities for hiking and trekking. Black River Gorges National Park has excellent walks, and at the same time you can see some endemic plants and birds. The Reserve Forrestiere Macchabee and Riviere Noire National Park are also good for hiking. In addition, captive breeding to raise the numbers of Mauritius endangered endemic birds is underway here. For trekkers, you will do well at the plateau at Curepipe and at the island of Rodrigues.

The Royal Botanical Gardens of Pamplemousses are very popular with visitors. The gardens date back to 1735, during the French period. Here you will see a large collection of exotic and indigenous plants in excellent surroundings. Among the most peculiar specimens are the giant Victoria regia water lilies, whose origins are in the Amazon, and the talipot palm- known to bloom once every 60 years before dying. At the Casela Bird Park, you can see some of its 140 bird species, including the rare Mauritian pink pigeon. Some of these excursions are included in the Mauritius tour packages offered by the various vendors.

Mauritius offers some excellent golf courses, and visitors are increasingly aware of it. There are at least three hotels with 18-hole courses and another five with 9-hole courses. The Ile aux Cerfs course, which sits on its own tiny island is the most spectacular. For honeymooners, the island is very welcoming. Almost all hotels offer a special honeymoon package. As a non-resident, you can easily tie the knot here. But a few formalities must be completed with officialdom; make sure you comply before arrival.

Culture

Mauritius is at the cultural cross roads of Europe, Africa and Asia. The Dutch, French, Africans, Indians, Chinese and British came under one guise or another and have today influenced the character and cultural life of the island. Though the island is closest to Africa geographically, culturally it is much closer to Asia.

The biggest racial groups are Indo-Mauritians who constitute about two thirds of the nations 1.2 million peoples, followed by Creoles – Afro- Mauritians who are just over a quarter of the population. Franco- Mauritians and peoples of Chinese origin combined make up about 5% of the population. While English is the official language, French, Creole, Bhojpuri and Urdu are widely spoken. Religion is the other factor defining the people of the island, with Hinduism (51%), Christianity (30%) and Islam (17%) leading.

The cuisine of the island reflects the diversity of its people. French, Creole, Chinese and Indian foods – with local variations are all found here. Wherever you stay, you will most likely be able to watch or even dance the Sega. This energetic and erotic Creole dance has origins in the sugar fields, in the days when African labour was captive. You may also be fortunate to encounter any of the various festivals celebrated in this multicultural country. Only the most widely traveled however, will be prepared for the Cavadi. On this Tamil festival, penitents pierce their bodies, tongues, and cheeks while some march on shoes of nails.

Tourism is one of the main pillars of the economy of Mauritius. The bulk of visitors come from South Africa, Germany, France, Australia and UK. Hotels in Mauritius are plenty, and they range from 5-star luxury to those with just basic amenities. Budget stay comes in the form of bungalows, guesthouses and self-catering apartments. The period June to September and around Christmas is the busy season and if you plan to travel then, you are advised to book your accommodation in advance. Mauritius is still relatively affordable, though there has been talk of turning it into an up market beach destination.

When to go

Mauritius is a year-round destination. The best times to visit however, are the periods April-June and September- November. These are the months when it rains least and the temperatures are moderate. January to April is hottest, and daytime temperatures can reach 35 degrees C. Temperatures tend to be lower inland, away from the coast. The main rains come between December and April, though there are light rains year round. November to February is when cyclones are most likely to occur. But do not be deterred; chances of meeting cyclones are not very high, and it is estimated that they hit the island about once every 15 years.

If you are keen on water sports, beware that diving is best December to March, and surfing between June and August. For big game fishing, come between October and April. You should be comfortable with light clothing suitable for the tropical climate. But you need warmer clothing for evenings and the southern winter months between July and September. Whatever time of year you travel, do carry some rainwear. In the summer months between November and April, you are advised to bring along sunglasses, sun hats and sunscreen.

For more Mauritius hotel reviews, best deals and star ratings, use hotelpepper.com

Photo by timparkinson