Melia Las Dunas

By Jose Mauricio

Melia Las Dunas Hotel in Cayo Santa Maria has become the number one resort for family holidays in the biggest of the Antilles.

The enormous beach hotel accommodates over 900 rooms including standards, junior suites and suites in an all inclusive plan. The gastronomic service is divided into a buffet and four a la carte restaurants and few bars/cafeterias located in various areas of the hotel and the beach.

Cayo Santa Maria located off the north coast of Villa Clara province is reachable by air, sea or land. It is a tiny island connected to main land by a road built over the sea. The 40 minutes drive along this road is simple fantastic. With the sea in both sides of the road the traveller can admire all the different colour hues of the waters.

This Hotel is one of 4 hotels in the island of Cayo Santa Maria. There are more projects involving the construction of more hotels and tourist towns but at present Cayo Santa Maria is pretty much the most unspoilt beach resort in Cuba. There is plenty of space available and the beach is never overcrowded.

For the Cuban Cuisine standards this hotel is definitely above the average. Managed by Sol Melia, the Spanish hotel chain the variety is always guarantee. There is plenty to choose from including sea food, Chinese dishes, Creole Cuban recipes and even a Hamburger Cafeteria.

Always bear in mind that this is a family oriented hotel and if you don't want to be around kids then perhaps you should consider another option such as the adults-only Melia Cayo Santa Maria next to Melia Las Dunas.

About the Author:

Before you decide to go for Melia Las Dunas Hotel make sure you read on all the reviews about Cayo Santa Maria in Jose Mauricio's Cayo Santa Maria's Blog.

History of Halloween

By Phil Sikes

Halloween, which falls each year on October 31st, is a holiday rich with tradition. In modern times, the celebration has come to include lots of frightening fun, like touring haunted houses, attending costume parties, and watching horror movies. Kids can be seen each and every Halloween donning costumes of Dracula, werewolves, witches, ghosts, and the like, trick-or-treating from door to door for candy and other goodies.

Originally a Celtic festival, Halloween arrived in North America when Irish, Welsh, and Scottish immigrants whose ancestors had celebrated Halloween continued the tradition in America. From there, Halloween has spread into most Western countries where English is spoken, including Western Europe. This is partly due to Halloween's synthesis into American pop culture.

Halloween began as a festival devoted to the link between the living and dead that was celebrated by pagans. The date of the celebration corresponded to the time when the supposed connection between the spirit and physical worlds was strongest and thus supernatural events most commonly occurred. These celebrations eventually came to be called Halloween when the growing Christian church made its activities part of All Hallows Day, also known as All Saint's Day, a holiday who's Gregorian calendar date was November 1.

A vigil for the festival was held on All Hallows Evening on October 31. In the vernacular of the times, All Hallows Evening became Hallowe'en and later the Halloween we know today.

Ireland is where traditional Halloween celebrations have remained the strongest. There, children would traditionally dress as supernatural creatures, getting stores of nuts, fruit, and sweets from neighbors that would be used in the celebrations. Each town celebrated the end of summer by getting together and setting a large bonfire in order to protect them all from evil spirits.

Foods that the children collected were made a part of games like bobbing for apples and other assorted items or eating apples on a string. Turnips were used to hold candles after having scary ghostly faces carved into them. This lead to the pumpkin carving that has become so popular in America. Kids were also dusted with salt in order to protect them from wicked spirits.

There is no exact explanation of how the trickery of trick-or-treating arose, but it did so in North America. Children in Ireland often did mischievous things during Halloween that would later be blamed on the bad spirits. It seems that this tradition was merged with that of collecting treats.

Kids usually played innocent and clever tricks on adults they didn't like so much, putting commonly used objects of theirs where they couldn't be found on the night of Halloween.

About the Author:

Now's the time to start planning your Halloween costumes for this year. Don't wait until the good ones are all sold out. Get plenty of fun costume ideas on the Get In Costume website, where you can also get a free copy of my report "The Family Guide To Halloween Safety.".

Hungry? Try An Avraham Karadi Aka Avi Karadi Sandwich

By Avraham Wiseman

Love unique sandwiches? While it is not necessary to make the sandwich or even eat the sandwich, for reasons unknown, I find it nice knowing that there are other who like these things too! Have you had the pleasure of a "St. Paul"? Apparently you can only find this in St. Louis, Missouri. And even then, only in some old time Chinese restaurants. What is it you might ask, well it is a large amount of egg foo young on some white bread along with tomatoes, lettuce and mayonnaise. Sometimes a slice of good old American cheese is added in. How about the "chow mein sandwich", ever heard of that one? this sandwich is apparently a very common item on menus along Route 195 (Southern Mass.) and it isn't confined to just Chinese restaurants either. As you might already know there is no end to these bizarre sandwiches, from peanut butter and onions, peanut butter with pickles to peanut butter, jelly and crushed potato chips!

Add to that list one of the weirdest compositions ever, the "Avraham Karadi" Sandwich, also known as an "Avi Karadi. It seems like someone's idea of a faux-gourmet sandwich as it involves a lot of work just gathering and preparing the ingredients, and I cant imagine anyone actually enjoying the resulting mix of flavors, but theres been talk that its very popular in certain areas. Heres the list of exotic ingredients:

An old Roman sweet wine sauce, Passum, is made by boiling the must, newly pressed whole fruits which include the stems, seeds, leaves and all. And then you would add in honey to thicken it.

Garum, an ancient Roman salty fish sauce, approximated today by combining passum with a fish paste and oregano.

An ancient Roman standby, Pine nut sauce, is made by mixing in vinegar, honey and pine nuts as well as a bit of pepper and lovage.

Finally, and as desired, you may use spinach and onions as well as lettuce and tomatoes. When it comes to the bread many choose rye bread, but some do like Black Russian Bread as an alternative. Egg paste, as found in egg salad, is also sometimes used. Pastrami or Roast Beef are the meats of choice. Then there are the variations, there are too many to go over them all, just keep in mind they all pretty much keep within these ingredients. Curiously, I was not able to find out where the nickname of the "Avraham Karadi" or "Avi Karadi" came from for this sandwich.

1. The Passum: Reducing it to one-tenth its volume, start by cooking the grape juice. Feel free to add honey to taste.

2. The Garum: Add two full tablespoons of fish paste to the Passum. Then add a pinch of oregano.

3. The Pine Nut Sauce: For three hours, in vinegar, soak the pine nuts. Now mix with honey, while adding dashes of pepper and lovage.

4. Build the sandwich: Smear egg paste on rye or black Russian bread; insert meats and vegetables; ladle passum, garum, and pine nut sauce generously.

There you have it an "Avraham Karadi" (aka "Avi Karadi") sandwich, enjoy!

About the Author:

Article written by Avraham Wiseman. Mr. Wiseman, a Sandwich lover. Finding the "Avraham Karadi" (aka: Avi Karadi) sandwich interesting, prompted the writing of this article. If you love Sandwiches I hope you love this article.

Giving Through the Internet

By James Pynn

Group gifting is the affordable way to spoil that special someone with an unbelievable gift. The people you ask to pitch in can give as much or as little as they want. It is all kept in super secret computer files no one can access. And the best part is if you and your cheapskate friends can't manage to drum up the cash, you can have whatever you did mange to raise dumped into a gift card. Sometimes, cash is just the ticket.

Of course everyone wants to see a loved one get a gift so tremendous they collapse in to a fetal ball. It's an amazing sight to behold: a grown man weeping over a new Mac Power Book. Behold the power of splitting the cost of a major gift. The problem is not everyone wants to give the same amount. The cold indifference of the Internet is poised to neutralize anyone harboring suspicions about who is paying how much. The trouble with splitting an expensive gift is the inherent distrust of those pitching in.

A moderately price gift here or there is nice enough, but how would your loved one or friend react when he or she tears open a gift to find a brand new Coach purse? What about a $2000 laptop? When you add up the cost of gifting all the people in your inner and outer sanctum, it adds up. Before you know it you could be spending close to $1,000 to show the people in your life how special they are.

Automatic reminders and online payments make it a hassle-free and ego-free process. Revel in the humanity free zone of modern technology. Avoid the awkwardness of group giving by letting an online service parcel out the lots and collect the money. Asking people to pitch in is awkward.

Group gifting is the affordable way to spoil that special someone with an unbelievable gift. The people you ask to pitch in can give as much or as little as they want. It is all kept in super secret computer files no one can access. And the best part is if you and your cheapskate friends can't manage to drum up the cash, you can have whatever you did mange to raise dumped into a gift card. Sometimes, cash is just the ticket.

About the Author:

Explore a host of unique gift ideas with a reliable group gifting service. From laptops to designer clothing to new cars, the unique gift ideas never stop.

How To Find Cheap Family Deals For Holidays Abroad

By Liz Taylor

The following article includes pertinent information that may cause you to reconsider what you thought you understood. The most important thing is to study with an open mind and be willing to revise your understanding if necessary.

Most people buy travel insurance for trips and holidays abroad but these policies do generally provide cover for travel within the UK, though do check the small print rather than assuming that this is always the case. Add to this all the holidays abroad and the fact they seem to learn much more about other countries than kids in the US do, I just think they develop the ability to adapt more readily. I think the smallest countries like Belgium and Holland are the most flexible. European tourists, for example, do not cancel their holidays abroad, however, they tend to shorten their holiday, which directly leads to a loss in total tourism revenue.

If you've been hoping to stumble across a great idea for cheap holidays abroad, rejoice! I think I know just what you need. Don't go planning your summer holidays abroad until you have built up your emergency fund and you know you can afford it. If you need to go somewhere, maybe think of a couple of trips you could do in the local vicinity without costing too much money. No family summer holidays abroad had been cancelled. No friends had had to leave the school, or move house.

The information about cheap holidays abroad presented here will do one of two things: either it will reinforce what you know about cheap holidays abroad or it will teach you something new. Both are good outcomes.

Low prices for short holidays abroad allay customer fears and build confidence to go for longer tours with the same travel portal subsequently. Yatra.com is also highlighting itineraries different from the usual that it has put together with the help of the tourism boards of states and national parks. Like many British seaside resorts, its grandeur and glamour has perhaps faded a little in recent years in the luring headlamps of package holidays abroad. But if tourists don't flock here in quite the numbers they once did, the town is making a huge and visible effort to tempt them back again with refurbishments and street artworks. I doubt it will increase business from Denmark however, as apparently under 15% of Danes take holidays abroad.

Among 15 to 24 year olds from Britain, fully 64% take their holidays abroad. Among the over 65 year old set, 60% of them take their holidays at home in Britain. In addition, the number wishing to relax over the May holidays abroad had declined, and those who go, reduce the cost of holiday.

As your knowledge about cheap holidays abroad continues to grow, you will begin to see how cheap holidays abroad fits into the overall scheme of things. Knowing how something relates to the rest of the world is important too.

About the Author:

Liz Taylor is the author of this article. HolidaysIT.com helps you compare and book cheap holidays abroad and cheap package holidays to help save you time and money. You have full permission to reprint this article provided the links are kept unchanged.

Travel The Wild And Astonishing Surroundings In Scotland

By Sean Pat Connery

Renting a car in Scotland and touring the natural and impressive surroundings is the highlight of most vacations in Scotland. Cheap Scotland car rental is effortless and available in all major cities.

Here is a suggestion for a three day castle exploration.

Day 1

From Glasgow or Edinburgh, merge with the A93 at Perth and stick to it throughout Glenshee, to Braemar, the eastern entry to the Cairngorm Mountains. Visit Braemar Highland Heritage Centre and 17th century Braemar Castle, which is at this moment operated by the local community. Stay on the A93 to Balmoral Castle, Queen Victorias 'dear bliss where everywhere you look seems to breathe sovereignty and quiet.

Further east, the old royal station at Ballater includes a royal carriage and royal waiting room built for Queen Victoria. You can expose further ancient history at the Kinord Stone, a 9th century Celtic symbol stone in Muir of Dinnet National Nature Reserve before leaving the A93 for the A97 up to Strathdon, where a undersized detour will bring you to the ruined 16th century Glenbuchat Castle, now protected by Historic Scotland, who also keep dazzling Corgarff Castle, a 16th century tower house set in natural scenery in Upper Strathdon on the A939 to Tomintoul.

Break off at the bottom of the Lecht pass to visit the Lecht Mine " active during the 18th and 19th centuries.Go on to the planned 18th century town of Tomintoul with its square, museum, Telford church and manse.

Day 2

Begin the day from Tomintoul and go north on the A939 and take the right hand turning after Bridge of Avon. Just near the road is Fodderletter Lum " placed there by early road menders to provide protection at night. Keep on Strathavon and turn left onto the B9136 to wonderful 15th century Drumin Castle, sometime home of the Wolf of Badenoch. Continue to Bridgend of Glenlivet and turn right onto the B9008 to the ancient Livet pack horse bridge after quarter of a mile.

Continue to Auchnarrow and take a left turning signposted Chapeltown and Scalan. Park at the end of the road and walk a mile on level ground to find the brilliant Forbidden College of Scalan where Roman Catholic priests were trained in secret during the 18th century. End the day at Grantown and enjoy an evening of local hospitality.

Day 3

From Grantown, head south and maybe visit glorious Castle Roy by Nethybridge on your way to the ruined 18th century Ruthven Barracks near Kingussie, which were built following the first Jacobite uprising. From here its on to Clan MacPherson Museum at Newtonmore, where you will also find part of the multi award winning breathtaking Highland Folk Museum where a 1700s township has been recreated.

To finish head south past Dun da Lamh Pictish Hillfort at Laggan Bridge before taking the A9 south to Blair Atholl and breathtaking Blair Castle, home of the Atholl Highlanders - the only remaining private army in the UK.

About the Author:

Scotland Car Rental is straightforward and unproblematic, if you follow the information provided on the Scotland Car Hire website.

Where To Stay In Havana?

By Jose Garces

This is quite a frequent question I get from travelers interested in staying in Havana so I thought why not to publish my recommendations on the best hotels in Havana.

In this article I am going to focus on the hotels located in the Old Town area or Havana Vieja which is the way everybody in Havana knows it. One thing that makes the hotels in this part of Havana different from the rest is the fact that very few of them were originally built to be hotels. Each of them has a very unique architecture style and some of them date back 200 years ago.

I will start with Santa Isabel Hotel. It only counts 27 rooms, most of them with fantastic views. This four stars plus hotel really transport you back in time. Santa Isabel hotel needs to be booked well in advance. In spite of being an expensive one; the fact that it has few rooms makes it a difficult one to get, especially in high season.

I definitely recommend the junior suites at Saratoga Hotel as these ones do have balconies overlooking the streets of surrounding the Capitol of Havana ? an area that many consider the most interesting in terms of places o visit.

Parque Central Hotel also in the Old Town shares the top range of the tourist market together with Saratoga Hotel. Its fa?ade is not an architectural jewel but its beautiful lobby has been decorated following the colonial style guidelines. It also has a roof top swimming pool with fantastic views of the old town.

If you are looking for something cheaper but still you want to have a bit of comfort in your accommodation the why not try one of the 3 star hotels in the Old Town Such as Comendador, Beltran de Santa Cruz, Hostal Valencia or Park View Hotel.

I am going to leave now hoping to help you make up your mind and decide which hotel is better for you. You can find detailed information at www.quest2cuba.co.uk

About the Author:

Visit www.quest2cuba.co.uk for further information on the best hotels in Havana.