February

The highlight of the Dominican Republic holidays falls on the second month of the year. It is called the ‘Carnival’, a celebration whose history dates as far back as 1867.

Carnival is celebrated throughout the month – on all Sundays – and climaxes on the 27th of February, with the Dominican Republic Independence Day. Every town in the country add their own twist to the holiday and everyone – local and tourists alike – are invited, in fact expected, to join the grand parades, street dances, and activities in most towns.

March to April

After the festivities of the preceding month, the Dominicans prepare for the holiest week of all. During this month, ‘Semana Santa’ or Holy Week is celebrated starting on the Easter Sunday and ending with the Black Saturday. Christian celebrations, however, coincide with the voodoo celebrations typical of the areas where Haitian migrants live and near the country’s borders.

May

The fifth month of the year begins with a holiday – the Labor Day. The Dominicans living in the San Felipe de Puerto Plata then celebrate the feast of San Felipe on the 3rd day of the month. The month is then ended with the feast in honor of San Fernando, the local Parton Saint of Monte Cristi.

June

June is marked by various celebrations in honor of the Parton Saints of different towns in the Dominican Republic. People living in San Pedro de Macoris celebrate the San Pedro Apostle de festival. On June 10, the Feast of Corpus Christi is celebrated in most towns. On the 13th of June, a religious festival held in honor of San Juan Batista is celebrated alongside the Fiesta Patronal of Sosua and Bonao – the feast of San Antonio.

On the first week of the month, Puerto Plata Cultural Festival is celebrated and on any date of the month, the three-day long Latin music festival kicks off in the Santo Domingo Olympic Stadium.

The Dominican Republic holidays continue throughout the year with celebrations from July to the last day of December.

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Getting to Venice

Depending on your location, Venice could be reached via plane, trains and cars. Once you arrive in Italy, there are many ways in which you can reach Venice and one of the easiest—not to mention the fastest—would be via plane from the Marco Polo Airport. Actually, the airport could be considered as an attraction itself because of its high-tech features and facilities. The airport system is very passenger friendly to avoid confusion especially on foreign visitors. It basically consists to two floors—the ground floor mainly reserved for various rental agencies, desks for water-taxi reservations, booths cruise agents, escorts and guides, area for public transportation and kiosks for tourist information while the first floor is where the gates for departure as well as the duty-free zone that offer various Italian products for easy and convenient shopping experience.

If you are flying to Venice from the United States, it is best to rely on Delta Airways because they are the only one who has direct flight. From JFK airport in New York, you can fly directly to Venice without so much hassle but if you are coming from other areas in the States, you can have connecting flights to other cities in European like London, Rome, Frankfurt, Milan, Paris, or Amsterdam off to Venice.

If you are coming from neighboring cities such as Rome, Milan, Treviso, Florence or Padua, you can take the train into the Santa Lucia railway station. Since Venice is serviced by national and regional train lines, you can get to the city in no time. But if you prefer to get there by car, you will have a big problem since Venice is literally built on water, so it is considered a “no car zone”. However, you can still get near Venice using the car only up to the terminal using the bridge Ponte della Liberta coming from Mestre. From there, you can park your car and take the ferry from Lido and then you will have to take the “vaporetti” off to Venice.

Before arriving in Venice, it is a must that you have a plan in staying there since it can be quite complicated especially for first timers. The major things that you should consider include the time since you are not familiar with the country, it is best to know when is the best time to get to Venice so you can enjoy almost everything it has to offer.

Also, the length of the vacation so you can have almost everything you need and the weather and climate so you will not get sick while on vacation.

The Burj Al Arab Dubai in the city of Dubai, is a structure likened to New York’s Statue of Liberty, Egypt’s pyramids, and Paris’ Eiffel Tower. These are landmarks that proudly bear the name of these countries. Burj Al Arab Dubai located in Jumeirah Beach area is known as the grandest hotel in the world. The futuristic design of this hotel resembles a sail ready to run before the wind so stunning that the sight alone brings awe to tourists flocking the place. It is truly difficult for other designs to come close to such architectural masterpiece.

Burj Al Arab is the tallest hotel in the world that towers 321 meters from the ground and stands on an artificial island finely crafted to look like the real thing. This man-made island is already 280 meters above Jumeirah Beach. A curving bridge which was privately constructed is a remarkable piece as well. This connects the island and the hotel to the mainland and city proper. The Rose Tower, another expensive hotel in the city which is also Dubai’s pride, will soon inherit the tallest hotel in the world title when it opens April 2008. Rose Tower will rise at 333 meters.

The Jumeirah Group and builder Said Khalil were the architectural minds behind the BurjAl Arab in 1994. The design was inspired by Tom Wright of WS Atkins PLC architecture firm in London. The grand design is mimicry of a boat ready to set a symbolic sail.

Staying in this hotel alone is already considered an activity for tourists so expect cutting edge facilities. Burj Al Arab or ‘The Arabian Tower’, is the first and only hotel to be rated 7-star. You can just imagine the excellent and lavish splendor of what a 7-star hotel can offer 2 notches up the already extravagant 5-star accommodation.

Although the hotel is tall, its unique shape makes it appear short since looking at it makes you see a boat gliding in the wind. The hotel is so tall that it stands neck to neck with New York City’s Empire State Building only 16% shorter. The hotel has an atrium which is designed to be the tallest around the world. The hotel is an all-suite luxury decking 202 real exquisite double floor suites. The most eye catching characteristic of this hotel is the windows created from floor to ceiling giving guests a breathtaking view of the city, the sea and the landscape.

Since the hotel is such a luxurious indulgence, per night stay is about $1,000 for double occupancy single bedroom suites. There are two Royal Suites in the hotel for $5,000 a night. So expensive that it almost costs a fortune to stay for just a few days. If the price is too much to bear for ordinary guests, just seeing the hotel upclose will be enough to make you feel extravagant already.

Your Top Destinations

There are several vacation destination options for you to choose from but California simply stands out. In fact, the place has numerous fun activities to offer. Whether you are travelling with friends, coworkers, or family members, you can always enjoy being in this state. Choose your destinations from a wide array of options namely South Lake Tahoe, Santa Barbara, San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego, Napa, Sacramento, and Berkeley. Travelers of all ages are certain to spend an unforgettable Californian dream getaway.

For more unique holiday experiences, visit the Death Valley, Yosemite National Park, California Wine Country, Palm Springs, Big Sur, the Alcatraz Island, Golden Gate Bridge, Sea World Adventure Park, Japanese Tree Garden, and the Joshua Tree National Park, among others.

For those who are seeking a romantic interlude, try going to Mendocino, Bodega Bay, Carmel, and Eureka.

On the other hand, peace, solitude, and tranquility are at their best as you visit Central California.

Sure enough, you will have much fun basking under the sun in the sandy beaches, trekking the mountain peaks, and getting more than enough of the captivating sceneries. Couples, kids, adults, groups, families, honeymooners, and individual tourists are all kindly accommodated by the beautiful Californian state.

Planning Your Vacation

It is actually easy to plan your California vacation. However, you should look into the details prior to packing your bags and booking your flight. Here are some of the vital tips to keep in mind.

Discuss your vacation plans with your companions. Talk about what things you want to do.

Then, find out which destinations in California offer the activities that you want to perform.
Decide if you want to cover more places during your stay. You can carefully plan out how you can go from one tourist spot to another.

Discuss if you want to book with a travel agent. Travel agencies take care of the accommodations, flight bookings, as well as the itineraries. Travel agents are all around so your choice is never limited. However, if you prefer to do things on your own, you should start scouting for the pertinent information by joining forums and asking around. It will be of help if you know someone in the area who can be your tour guide.

Pick out your hotel. You should inquire beforehand for the reservation details. Also ask about the facilities available for you. Your choice of hotel should be influenced by the amount that you are willing to pay for. There are several hotels around. They differ in rates and amenities too.

Find out if your destination has a good access to restaurants, attractions, shopping centers, hotels, and a lot others.

Make sure that your passport, visa, and other pertinent documents are prepared. A vacation in California is truly a wonderful experience to take. So, plan out before it is too late!