What a Super-Inclusive Vacation Should Include
August 30, 2008 | Leave a Comment
Are you in the process of planning a Caribbean vacation? If you are, you may be looking for affordable all-inclusive resorts. In your search, you may come across resorts that are classified as super-inclusive resorts. This will grab your attention right away, but you may be looking for more information, like what a travel package includes.
It is important to remember that Caribbean resorts and travel packages do vary. Although you will find some variances, there are many common features that a super-inclusive resort or travel package includes. A few of these features are outlined below for your convenience.
Overnight Accommodations
Of course, your stay is included in the cost of a Caribbean all-inclusive resort package. As for how you stay, it will depend on your own personal preferences. Most Caribbean resorts provide you with many options. These options may include a traditional resort room, a suite, or even a honeymoon suite. Most resorts and suites come standard with a television, air conditioner, and telephone, but other amenities are provided free of charge occasionally.
Dining
Your food and drinks should be included in a stay at a super-inclusive Caribbean resort. What you will want to do is examine the resort in question. Look for those with more restaurants, as you are provided with more eating options. Also, look for restrictions. A truly super-inclusive resort should allow you to eat, without having to pay again, at all onsite restaurants.
In addition to eating at a fine dining restaurant, super-inclusive travel packages should also include small meals and snacks. Drinks are included as well. With truly super-inclusive resorts, you will find that all drinks are included, including alcoholic beverages and not just the “cheap,” brands.
Tips
When staying at a super-inclusive Caribbean resort, you should find that tips are included in the cost of your stay. This means that you already paid for them. Some Caribbean resorts do not allow tipping. This means that the staff should not accept additional tips. If they are accepted, feel free to tip for exceptional service, but remember that you already paid for this when you purchased your travel package.
Activities
All super-inclusive resorts offer onsite activities as a part of their travel package, but what you will find may vary. For starters, all resorts should have an onsite swimming pool and fitness center, which you should be able to use as you please.
As for other included activities, it depends on the resort in question. For example, most resorts have an indoor gaming room, while a select number of Caribbean resorts have an indoor rock climbing wall.
For outdoor activities, it depends on the resort’s location and size. Some resorts in the Caribbean have onsite golf courses, volleyball nets, and basketball courts. If these activities are not included in the cost of your stay, you should get a very affordable rate.
At a select number of resorts, water based activities may be included as well. This is most commonly seen with beachfront all-inclusive resorts.
Wedding and Renewal Ceremonies
You may be surprised to hear that many super-inclusive Caribbean resorts also include wedding and renewal ceremonies in their packages. This is something that you should take into consideration if your next trip to the Caribbean doubles as a romantic getaway. Would could be more romantic that getting married or reaffirming your love for each other in the beautiful, tropical weather of the Caribbean?
In addition to the above mentioned super-inclusive travel package features, you may also find airport transfers included. This varies depending on the resort in question. If the resort you choose does provide you with airport transfers, first see if they have any restrictions on which airports you can be transported to. Even if the cost of a transfer is not included in your inclusive travel package, you should still receive an affordable rate.
As you can see, there are many features that a stay at a super-inclusive resort includes. Since you will find some variances, it is important to thoroughly examine all travel packages before making your purchase. Look for rules and restrictions that may reduce the quality or have a negative impact on your travels.
Super Clubs can help you make your all-inclusive Caribbean travel plans. View their large selection of all-inclusive resorts today.
Enjoy Your Leisure Time in Bethel Park
August 30, 2008 | Leave a Comment
Bethel Park is a municipality in Pennsylvania State. The town has many leisure activities for residents and non residents. Let us check out some of the leisure activities in Bethel Park.
The Municipality of the town offers the residents of the town with a variety of recreational and leisure activities. The recreational facilities have been developed keeping in mind the requirements of people of in all age groups. It would be of interest to know that residents of the town are privy to art lessons, swim lessons, karate classes, ballroom dancing classes which are provided by the Municipality for a small amount of fees.
Apart from all these training sessions, residents of the town can enroll themselves in aquatic programs, youth programs, adult programs or many other amusement programs that are organized frequently. There are also leisure centers like the amusement park where families can spend a complete day without getting tired. There are many among us who would like to spend their leisure time in an open park. For this purpose, the town has got quite a few parks namely the Simmons Park, Village Green Park and Millennium Park. The Millennium Park is located on 5900 Baptist Road and spread over an area of 40 acres. We know that Bethel Park is indeed famous for its parks. The list is long but some of the other notable ones are the Peter Page Park on Church Road which is over an area of 16.65 acres, the small but nice Oak Tree Park on Summit Street and Mollyhill Park. The residents of the town will always have a place to visit during their leisure time.
The high school in Bethel Park has around 2 thousand students in grades 9–12. It’s one of the biggest high schools in Pennsylvania and consists of 8 buildings on a 80-acre campus. Its curriculum includes ten Advanced Placement Program courses, 14 honors courses and four foreign language programs. The current principal is Dr. Zeb Jansante. Its mascot is the Black Hawk.
The highest point in Bethel Park is Rocky Ridge in the southwestern portion of the municipality, 1,370 feet (420 m), and the lowest point is at the intersection of the Piney Fork and Alsip Run creeks, 980 feet (300 m), in the southeast corner of the municipality.
South Hills Village is a 2-story mall and shopping area, with 133 different stores including some of the top brands and a prime shopping location in Pittsburgh, PA area.
The South Hills Village is a two-level enclosed shopping mall located in the upscale Pittsburgh suburbs of Bethel Park and Upper St. Clair. It was originally developed by the Oxford Development Company as the first enclosed two-story shopping mall in the United States and is currently owned by Simon Property Group. It is anchored by Macy’s (formerly Lazarus and Horne’s) and Sears. The mall features over 130 specialty stores including Abercrombie and Fitch, American Eagle Outfitters, Hollister Co., Aeropostale, J. Crew, Ann Taylor Loft, Banana Republic, Lucky Brand Jeans, and an Apple Computer store. The mall also houses a food court and several professional offices. This mall was the largest in the United States until the Monroeville Mall, which was also developed by the Oxford Development Company and planned to be twenty percent larger, opened in 1969.
The South Hills Village Garage is one of three parking facilities constructed by the Authority as part of the Stage II Light Rail Transit Project. Stage II includes the reconstruction and modernization of the Overbrook Line; expansion of park and ride lot spaces; modernization and expansion of the Operations Control Center; installation of improved overhead wire and power system and new cab signals and gated crossings.
More information about the city of Bethel Park and South Hills Village is available on the main site of the city’s community: http://www.bethelpark.com/ Bethel Park, Pennsylvania – City Information, Real Estate, Community, Schools
Paris Tours By Boat – Two Ideas You’ll Love!
August 30, 2008 | Leave a Comment
When I was in Paris recently, I had two great Paris tours by boat which I can highly recommend.
The first was a Champagne Cruise, and the second was a Hidden Paris Barge Tour – let me tell you a little about each of them, and maybe it’ll be something you choose to do when you visit the City of Love.
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Paris Tours
Champagne Cruise
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Two of my friends were arriving in Paris from different points of the globe – one from Iceland and one from New Zealand (and I’d come from Australia), so I thought it would be great fun to start our first night in Paris together on a Champagne Cruise.
We all met up in the 11th arrondissement at the Metro Voltaire, and made our way to Bir Hakeim Metro beside the Eiffel Tower. I’d booked the tickets over the internet from Australia before I left home, so we were ready to go! When we emerged out of Bir Hakeim metro, all we had to do was look UP to see the Eiffel Tower and started walking in the direction. Our Champagne Cruise was due to depart at 6pm from the steps on the River Seine closest to the Eiffel Tower. As we walked along the street, we did a bit of window shopping in the tourist shops and looked at some trinkets we might buy on our way back.
When we reached the banks of the River Seine, we headed over to the ticketing office and as I was the only one who spoke any French, I handed over the tickets (printed off the internet) to the ticket collector. My French was rusty, but I certainly understood when he said there were no Champagne Cruises tonight because it was Sunday!
Oh I felt sick in the stomach, and in my terribly shaky French I tried to find out how this could happen when I’d called and confirmed the tickets the day before. This went on for a few minutes back and forth, until the ticket collector started laughing – he was making a joke, and I was so relieved and started laughing with him. Who said the French weren’t friendly? Not me 
We walked onto our boat and were shown through some heavy velvet curtains to the very front, where we were greeted by a delightful sommelier named Olivier who was going to tell us about Champagne for the next hour as he had us taste several different varieties.
With a glass of champagne held firmly in our hands, the boat slowly moved away from the mooring, and we were gliding on the River Seine looking at the beauty and history of Paris from our perfect spot on the boat. There were several American girls on the cruise, also enjoying the sights of Paris, as a break from their studies here. Another group was from the UK, a couple with their daughter and son-in-law, plus other passengers, and we all got on famously together.
Our sommelier Olivier was extremely knowledgeable on the topic of champagne, and has his own business specialising in champagne tours. We learnt so much and had fun along the way – before we knew it our hour was up, and it was time to disembark. We chatted with the fellow passengers on the wharf and all agreed it was well worthwhile.
I must say this was a truly delightful way to introduce Paris to my friends, and it’s a very inexpensive way to see the city from the water – the beautiful historical buildings, the marvellous bridges (‘ponts’) and the fabulous skyline.
If you can, you really should check out the champagne cruise – I thoroughly enjoyed it!
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Paris Tours
Hidden Paris Barge Tour
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Later in the week we headed off to find the Hidden Paris Barge Tour, due to start at 2:30pm and finishing at 5pm. We stopped at a boulangerie (bakery) and bought baguette sandwiches and bottled water for our little picnic on the barge.
We took the metro and changed twice before arriving at Parc De La Villette, in the 19th arrondissement (Metro: Porte de Pantin). When we came out of the metro we were surprised to see the big open spaces and the artistic buildings – such a contrast to the centre of Paris.
We walked towards the canal and found the departure point for our barge tour. When we climbed aboard, there weren’t many people, and I thought that because it was a Friday there might be fewer passengers. As we located some seats and got settled, we enjoyed the warm summer’s afternoon and looked forward to our cruise. We weren’t on the River Seine, we were actually on a canal on the outskirts of Paris which would wend its way to eventually meet the Seine towards the end of our two and a half hour journey.
More passengers started climbing on board, and suddenly the barge was full – it was an outing for a company’s picnic and they were all set to have fun! As we were the only English speakers, it was an interesting way to get to see and meet the locals who were in party-mode.
Pretty soon our ticket collector appeared and started to talk about the surroundings – in French. When he finished, he stood in front of us and gave us the English version, which was lovely. I speak enough French to know that he tweaked the jokes to make us laugh, and it turned out he was an Englishman who’d lived in Paris for many years.
We learnt all kinds of interesting snippets about French history and politics, culture and stories. Because we were on a canal, we had to enter each ‘lock’ and the large floodgates were locked behind us. The water level would slowly decrease beneath us until we had dropped down a level in the landscape, and then we could proceed. This happened several times, and always drew a crowd who’d hang over the bridges above us, waving and calling out. It was great fun and so different from the typical French tourist attractions!
We ate our picnic and had a marvellous afternoon, chatting to the French locals and thoroughly enjoying ourselves. As we approached a long dark tunnel, we were advised it was 2km long – unlit – and went directly beneath the Bastille monument, which had plenty of history to hear about.
Our guide was very knowledgeable and funny, and made the day so interesting. When we were in total darkness in the underground canal, we could hear a beautiful melody … as he came forward, his silhouette was outlined by a circular airvent above us in the tunnel, and we could see he was playing a lilting melody on a clarinet – it was haunting and beautiful.
I took lots of photos plus a quick video and have posted them on my website – if you’d like to hear the music, please visit my webpage and click the video:
http://www.a-night-in-paris.com/paris-tours-barge-cruise.html
When we finally came back out into the daylight, we headed onto the River Seine to finish our wonderful journey which had been chock full of interesting history, stories, people and places. The two and a half hours had flown by! We reluctantly walked away, crossed the bridge, and grabbed a bus to take us back to Metro Voltaire where we were staying.
Both of these Paris tours were great fun and showed two totally different sides of Paris – if you want to spend some quality time away from the touristic crowds and meet French people, you might want to try these for yourself.
I hope you do! And I hope you have a lot of fun! You can post comments on the websites and let me know about your own experiences in Paris.
Au revoir!
Teena
Teena Hughes is an Australian who has lived in Paris and loves all things French. Visit Teena’s website to fall in love with the city of light and love. http://www.a-night-in-paris.com/paris-tours-barge-cruise.html