Snorkelers, scuba divers and ocean conservationists enjoy spending time in and on the water for the way it makes them feel.  Beautiful brightly colored fish and marine invertebrates all call the sea their home and one of the more intelligent species below the surface is the octopus.  There are some public aquariums who loans marine life so that others can enjoy them.  One endangered octopus species is the giant Pacific octopus who in the wild makes his home along the north pacific coast.

This tells us that to see this amazing creature in his natural habitat, you would need to be scuba diving in the areas that range from the California coast north and over to Japan. Where you choose to travel for your next adventure is your choice and you have the whole world to choose from, whether you pick a land or water based vacation.

Madrid is a marvellous base for excursions. All around it, in a radius of little more than 100 km, are lovely spots to visit, eat, ogle at, play in and rest. If you don’t have a car, there are guided bus-tours of most of the following places with buses leaving either daily or several times a week from principal Madrid hotels. They usually offer a complete guided tour of the town or place you want to see for a reasonable price, often with lunch included. For timetables and route details, contact the Tourist Office, any travel agent in Madrid or ask at your hotel. Most of the towns mentioned have frequent daily train links with Madrid as well.

Toledo

Toledo (population 54,335) is 70 km south of Madrid. A fortified city dating from Roman times, it was the capital of Visigothic Spain and still looks today exactly as El Greco painted it in the sixteenth cen­tury. Toledo has a history of spine-chilling battles even in modern times. During the siege ofthe Alcdzar (which you can visit) by Repub­lican forces in the Spanish Civil War, the son of Colonel Moscardo, the Alcazar’s commanding officer, was captured. The Republicans called the pro-Franco colonel on the telephone. (Telephone lines were frequently left in place during that war and used for transmitting ulti­matums.) They let the colonel’s son speak. ‘Dad,’ he reportedly said, `they say they’ll shoot me if you don’t surrender the fortress.’ Colonel Moscardo allegedly replied, ‘Son, die like a man.’ His son was shot, but the Alcazar did not fall to the Republicans.

A good time to visit Toledo is around Corpus Christi, a moveable feast which falls on the Thursday after Trinity Sunday (usually in June). The pageantry and processions are a throwback to medieval times. Check dates of processions before travelling; they may take place on a Sunday rather than Thursday, as a result of negotiations between civil and ecclesiastial authorities to reduce the number of religious holidays on the official calendar.

In Toledo, don’t miss the Cathedral, begun in the sixth century, converted into a mosque when the Arabs took over, then restored to its status as a church when the Christian forces finally recaptured Toledo. Most ofthe present structure dates from that period, the early thirteenth century. The cathedral and cathedral museum are open daily from 10.30 a.m. to 1.30 p.m. and from 3.30 to 6 p.m.

Other ‘must’ visits include:

• Santo Tome Church, where El Greco’s large canvas of The Burial of the Count of Orgaz hangs. Open daily from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and from 3.30 to 6.45 p.m.; in winter from 10 a.m. to 1.45 p.m. and from 3.30 to 5.45 p.m. 
• Gothic Church and Monastery of San Juan de los Reyes, dating from the fifteenth century with its lovely cloister. Open daily from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and from 3.30 to 7 p.m. (in winter to 6 p.m.). 
• El Transito Synagogue, dating from the fourteenth century which was converted into a Christian place ofworship after the expul­sion of the Jews from Spain in 1492 but was happily left largely unchanged by its new tenants. In 1990 this elegant example of Mudejar architecture was closed for restoration and a small museum of Sephardic culture, which is accessible through the synagogue, was enlarged. Open daily from 10 a.m. to 1.45 p.m. and from 2 to 6.45 p.m.; in winter from 10 a.m. to 1.45 p.m. and from 3.30 to 5.45 p.m. Closed on Mondays and Sunday afternoons.

First up is the Ellerthwaite Hotel. Situated on the edge of the old Windermere village, this hotel might not tick every box in terms of luxury, but it is attractive, the service is impressive to say the least and despite the fact that this hotel is a huge favourite amongst visitors who have a budget to which they need to stick, there are many, many perks to this hotel which you cannot afford to overlook. Location is of course a hugely important part of picking the right hotel, but there are some options available to you which you may have ignored up until now. Take one of the many youth hostels which exist within the beautiful town of Windermere. Now, though the idea of spending a night in a youth hostel might not please you quite as much as the idea of kipping in a five-star Windermere hotel, there are many benefits that can come from picking a hostel above a hotel, and price is just one of them.

Of course, your budget might stretch just a little further than a hostel, and if this is the case then you are literally spoilt for choice where affordable and yet hugely pleasing Windermere hotels are concerned. The best advice that we can give to anyone who is seeking accommodation in the Lakes this Spring is to shop around.

There are magnificent bargains to be found if you are willing to look for them.

The key to having a good vacation is your ability to relax and feel like you are becoming a part of the indigenous place you visit. If you make a single holiday encompass more than one spot, you may be able to feel a bit more relaxed when you return home on its end. The reason is simple: when you are the master of two domains, you feel like your reach is much more powerful!

By planning now for a holiday coming up later this year, it will give you a reason to plan and save, and provide something to look forward to. A 2012 holiday may seem like it is too late to consider, but in reality there is plenty of time if you act now. Only a few months have passed so far, so saving enough to get into a holiday that means something to you is not out of the question. Instead, you should set your sights on the places you want to visit, talk to a professional and check out a few websites, and plan the holiday trip you’ve been waiting for.

            In order to improve the chance or reaching this decision, using online travel websites will help you hone in on specifics you want to find in your vacation. Whether you visit tunisiaholidays.org.uk to plan a trip to ancient ruins of Carthage in Tunisia or Expedia to plan a trip to South Africa, you will certainly not be disappointed with your decision with the right research. Online, you are able to search specifically for places that either offers something relaxing, adventurous, visually stimulating, or any other preference. Another added perk included is that you normally can find much cheaper deals online than walking into a travel agency.             There are normally a lot more options online for each vacation as well so naturally competitors will lower prices to try and get ahead in the game. So when you are traveling next, try this method on for size so your family does not have to suffer. 

Think the winter season spells “highbrow?” Actually there are still deals going around for the winter holidays – it just takes a little bit of research and a clear idea of how you’d like to experience your Christmas. Do you enjoy doing it up with lights, a tree and caroling? Maybe you’d like to take in the winter landscape while snuggled up against your sweetheart in a horse-drawn carriage. Or perhaps a lively pub with dinner and pint are more your thing. Fact is, the holidays can be as storybook traditional or as radically unique as you choose it to be.

Though if taking a large group you well might want to consider lodging that is more extensive than your average hotel room; something like a cabin rental or a villa could offer common areas for the family to group in, play cards in and exchange gifts. Truthfully few things can be more frustrating than having a large group in tow in accommodations that don’t suit so have a care when booking.

Thankfully there are plenty of resorts and lodges that cater to families – and even have many exciting options to keep you all entertained during the chilly winter nights, so why not skip the pressure of cleaning the house and cooking the holiday meal? Why not let someone else handle the pesky details, leaving you and your family time to enjoy each other and the holiday season.

Winter time can be a terrible period of year weather-wise, frosts, plus snow and gales can make staying in Britain appear quite unappealing. It’s because of this reason that a lot of people vow to go on a winter package holiday. There are an abundance of destinations to pick from, you do not need to roam too far to find the warmer climates. Parts of Southern Europe are much warmer than the UK during the UK winter season.

Getting away on a winter sunshine package or villa holiday need not be expensive. There are many good value sunshine breaks at this point that will allow you to get away for a lot less than you think. Make sure that you look around, shop on the web and visit a few different reputable travel companies before you decide to book your sunshine holiday. You could also ensure that you read write-ups on your chosen hotel so that you know just what you are getting for your money.

If you pick to go on a winter package holiday you need to make sure that you are well prepared. It could seem a little strange packing the factor 15 when it is raining outside but this is indeed rather important. If you choose to go to a place that is very warm such as Tenerife then make sure that you pick a good sun clock cream.

But river cruises can be just as exciting as sea cruises, although without the time spent on “open water”, which is actually a blessing for some people who like to go on cruises but don’t like the feeling of having nothing around them for miles. But this raises the question: what is, then, the best river cruise that we could go on? A lot of people will give you different answers, but definitely one of the best you can get is a Russian river cruise. Russia is such a contrasting country that a cruise in the Volga, for example, will take you through many different landscapes that you can enjoy.

At Virgin Holidays, we believe amazing service should come as standard. That’s why Virgin Holiday’s magic touches are made available to all Virgin Holidays customers – not just the VIPs! We realise that you want to make the most of being on holiday, so we came up with Check in, Chill out, so you can check in for your flight without leaving the beach…or bar.  Airports are a drag.  The holiday only really starts when you get to your destination.  And if you’ve got kids, then airports are living nightmares.  So, to perk up the airport experience, we came up with the VRoom. And when you’re on holiday, you want to make sure it’s as good as it can be.  That’s where Virgin Holidays’ Concierge service comes in – a concierge actually tuned in to the buzz of your destination, not a guy in a suit on kick backs from rip-off restaurants. This belief is what sets Virgin Holidays apart from the competition. That’s why we actually encourage our customers to ‘Ask For the World’.

But how do you express that exclusive treatment in a single thought.  What do Virgin Holidays offer that no-one else does?  We think it can be described as…

“ROCKSTAR SERVICE”

It’s a level of care you’d normally associate with the glamour and excitement of the entertainment elite.  Made available to every Virgin Holidays customer.

With Virgin Holidays, you can rest assured that you’ll get intuitive, imaginative typically brilliant twinkle-in-the-eye Virgin service, every single time you travel with us.

You might not have guessed, but these are Bedford Castle, the de Grey Mausoleum and Someries Castle.

Bedford Castle’s history dates back as far as the 900’s. It was once an impressive, nearly impregnable fortress that was eventually brought down by King Henry III as punishment for its Lord’s wrongdoing. The archeological works around it are impressive, and allow us to have a good idea of how the castle looked like in its prime.

Someries castle, which isn’t a proper castle but a fortified manor house, is another ruin in the county, this one built in the 15th century. It is one of the first brick buildings in England and it has never quite been finished, and it’s an absolute delight to look at what remains of it and try to make out what the original plans for it were.

Finally, there’s the de Grey Mausoleum. It’s beautifully integrated in its surroundings and in the nearby church, making it a prime example of complementary architecture.