Category: Holiday

Holiday cottages in Devon

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Devon is one of the most popular holiday destinations in England. Devon is situated in South West England, and offers plenty for tourists sandy beaches, open spaces of national parks, historic villages, bustling seaside resorts and rolling countrysides. There is much to do in Devon including attractions and activities, shopping and restaurants, stunning scenery and sandy beaches, making it the perfect destination for a family holiday.

In keeping with this, Devon offers several accommodation options for all your needs. You name it, from luxury hotels to camping sites, there is something for all in Devon. Holiday cottages are an excellent accommodation choice they are comfortable, self catering, affordable and most are baby friendly and even dog friendly!

East Devon is an ideal location for a break at any time of the year. It is composed of rolling farmland countryside, coastal towns and villages and the Exmoor National Park. Here are a few holiday cottages situated in East Devon.

Bothy, Spreyton: This is a gorgeous 16th century romantic hideaway that is buried in the glorious countryside. It has its own large private garden and even has an extensive library! It is close to the Dartmoor National Park, the Two Moors Walk and the glorious Teign valley which hosts the famous Castle Drogo.

Hannaford Quay, Topsham: This is a beautifully refurbished and comfortable holiday cottage situated on The Strand, close to the edge of the River Exe. It is a five star property, well equipped and set in a fantastic location.

Idehill Cottages, Colyton: These cottages are situated overlooking the Coly Valley and an 18 hole golf course, which is exclusively for guests to use. The cottages are located in a peaceful setting and provide an excellent opportunity to sport a wide variety of birds and local wildlife. The cottages are comfortable and have good views, and have their own personal patio/sitting out area with garden furniture and a barbecue.

The Mede, Topsham: This is a gorgeous self catering cottage set in a quiet residential cul-de-sac on the edge Topsham. It has wonderful views up and down the Exe estuary, and a recreation park nearby. This holiday cottage is suitable for those with walking disabilities, as it is all on one level and no steps involved. The area is famous for its birdlife, pleasant riverside walks and excellent shopping.

The Holiday Meltdown Keeping Off Holiday Weight for Women

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Ladies, those magical and fat-filled Holidays are just around the corner. Bountiful arrays of foods to entice you to feast on, high-cal drinks and constant snacks are all soon within reach. Possible unwanted pounds could be gained all too easily because of the eating variety this time of year brings. But, if pounds are undesired, why go out of your way to stuff face during all those holiday feasts and family gatherings?

Don’t cave and use the Holidays as an excuse to overindulge on all those hearty and unhealthful eatables. Instead, consider some alternatives to avoid an all too familiar holiday weight gain.

Clearly, most holiday foods are super fatty and high in calorie content, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you can’t enjoy some of your favorite eats. Just be smart and attempt to cut back on their fatty and caloric values.

Start With a Fatty Cut Back:
Initially, start your day off with a generous breakfast, especially one full of protein. Eating protein is proven to keep you satisfied, as it takes longer to actually digest.
When partying, arrive with something already in your stomach. This way you’ll be less inclined to feast and constantly snack. Ideally, eat a little snack or small salad before you celebrate festivities at friends’ parties.
Avoid eating those sweets! Sugar cravings lead to an increased carbohydrate intake, which is detrimental when in excess. And when carbohydrate cravings are indulged upon a nasty cycle of continued carb consumption will ensue. Avoid those simple carbohydrates, and opt for complex ones instead, as they are more healthful and will sate your cravings more efficiently.
Constant running and shopping may keep you from eating well. Keep your kitchen stacked and supplied with an eclectic food selection. Mundane pantries lead to bland eating habits and poor health. Be varied and healthful instead, keeping in mind low fat and low cal eats!
Drinking on an empty stomach is also a no go. Always have a little something to eat while you’re drinking, as this can stop you from getting tipsy and being irrational with your holiday eating, or more typically, binging.
A fan of turkey? Opt to eat better and healthier with your birds. Choose skinless white meat rather than dark meat turkey.The manner in which you cook during the holidays is also a way to maintain your weight, shed pounds and just be mindful of unnecessary fats and calories.

Holiday Cooking Tips:
Pass your homemade gravy through a skimmer before serving to cut the fat and calories.
Opt to cook your stuffing outside the holiday bird and in a separate baking dish. External stuffing contains fewer calories and fat than stuffing cooked inside a turkey.
Provide items for family and friends at parties that are very low-cal and low-fat, such as a fresh fruit salad and steamed vegetables topped with lemon juice and herbs. And for snacking, serve pretzels and low-fat snack mixes instead of starchy, greasy chips and doodles.
Plate basic baked potatoes with your meals instead of sugary candied yams.
Instead of serving a rich, decadent pecan pie serve a humble and healthful apple pie topped with fat free frozen yogurt.
Using leftover meats from meals on sandwiches, use mustard instead of mayonnaise.In tandem with these healthful cut backs and cooking tips, you have to also stay active. Being sedentary over the holidays is asking for a weight gain. So, exercise! If anything, use exercise as a means to relieve built up holiday stress from all the shopping, in laws and frigid weather.

Holiday Villages A European Delight

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Holiday villages are growing in popularity with families who are looking for a laid back holiday where they can completely relax, but yet have the all the facilities of a large resort at their fingertips. In the UK villages are open year round, and are as popular for a winter getaway as for a summer holiday.

One of the largest brands of holiday villages in Europe is Center Parcs. Apart from their centres in the UK they have sites in Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and France. In the late 1960s a Dutch entrepreneur bought some woodland in the south of the country and started the first holiday village using tents. He soon changed these for bungalows and the Center Parcs brand as we know it today had started.

Center Parcs now have four holiday villages in the UK in Cumbria, Nottinghamshire, Suffolk and Wiltshire, plus one more under development in Bedfordshire. Each village is located in woodland sites of up to 400 acres, and are particularly marketed to appeal to families with young children. The main ethos of the villages is to provide a relaxing forest holiday for visitors. Cars are not allowed on site and visitors leave their vehicles in large car parks by the exit after unloading their suitcases. Bikes are the encouraged form of transport around the site, and there are hire facilities for people who have not bought their own bikes with them. The villas are grouped in small clusters and are all low-rise so as to blend in perfectly with the forest environment.

The main attraction at a Center Parcs holiday village is the huge swimming area, marketed as a sub tropical paradise. The swimming area is housed in a massive glass roofed area, and there are separate areas for toddlers, children and adults. They have high adrenaline slides and flumes as well as smaller slides and wave machines for younger guests. There is plenty to keep guests occupied for several hours, and numerous places to sit and relax. All visitors to the holiday village get free access to the swimming facilities throughout their stay.

Apart from the swimming, there are dozens of other activities on offer. These can include pony trekking, archery, tennis, abseiling, kayaking, and windsurfing. Guests will be charged extra to participate in these activities, which can soon mount up to a considerable sum for a family wanting to be busy every day. Most sites also have a spa offering the full range of beauty treatments and the opportunity to relax completely and be pampered. As the site itself is so large, there are also free bike and nature trails through the forest or guided tours with one of the ranger staff.

The main area of the holiday village is packed with restaurants, cafes and bars, providing plenty of options for dining. There is also a supermarket on site, and as all villas have full cooking facilities many visitors take their own food and self cater. A selection of gift and craft shops also offers the chance to pick up a souvenir of your stay.

An Unforgettable Adventure Holiday in Jamaica

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Jamaica, the name itself conjures up images of fun, thrill, excitement, adventure and luxury. Though there is something for everyone, adventure enthusiasts will be in for a special surprise because this destination does offer too many exciting adventure opportunities. Whether it is a horseback or a cycle ride through the lush green tropical wonderland or diving 60 feet under to witness the unique and colorful marine life, each experience is sure to remain etched in the memory.

Before you head out on your adventurous expedition, do remember to opt for Jamaica rentals over any one of the hotels. These Jamaica rentals are situated close to some of the most beautiful beaches and they give you the freedom and luxury to get the most of your holiday at your own pace and leisure. Besides, vacation rentals in Jamaica give you the perfect opportunity to enjoy first hand the local way of life, something, which an impersonal stay in a hotel cannot provide. You may want to consider Silver Sands an idyllic holiday resort, complete with all comforts and amenities, yet serene enough to provide you the privacy and space you need to make your stay extra special.

Go in whichever direction, a gorgeous beach and a beautiful horizon awaits you everywhere. Therefore, do spend a day on exploring the various beaches such as the ever-popular Negril Beach and the James Bond Beach.

Next on your agenda should be an exploration of the underwater world that brims with shoals of colorful fish, coral reefs, tunnels and canyons. Some of the popular diving sites include Airport Reefs in MoBay, known for its wall dives. The other sites that must be visited include Jacks Hall, Top of the Mountain and the Wreck of the Katryn in the Ocho Rios region. Each of them offers distinctive possibilities of enjoying an unforgettable diving experience.

In the excitement of such thrilling underwater adventures, dont forget that there exists a side to Jamaica, which is equally enthralling and exciting.

The Blue Mountains contain the islands highest point, Blue Mountain Peak at 2256 m. Its terrain is also known for offering various opportunities for adventure sports. You can opt for a horseback ride or a cycle tour through the lush tropical wonderland and marvel at the various species of flora and fauna. Full day excursions are available from various cycle tour operators.

Alternately, you can enjoy the local and popular activity of sailing down the river on a bamboo raft. This form of rafting can be enjoyed on the Rio Grande River in the Port Antonio Area. With so much to do and experience, it isnt surprising that Jamaica is a favorite with most adventure travelers.

To experience a fun-filled holiday, opt for a stay at one of the Jamaica villas that offer you all the comforts and services of an upscale resort without compromising on the privacy and space of a home.

Check out Silver Sands, a community of villas and cottages along a stretch of white sand beach and surrounded by beautiful scenic vistas. These villas in Jamaica are tastefully decorated and are staffed with cooks and housekeepers to ensure you have a relaxed and a luxurious holiday.

Holiday Stress – Is It the Time of Year, or Is It the Time of Man

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Life seems to compress as the holiday’s get closer, and this shows us in no uncertain terms how “intense” our lives have become. Holidays put normal life into hyper-speed, but really our lives in general are now in hyper-speed anyway, which can make the holiday’s seem almost unmanageable. However, there is hope, if we can understand the problem.

Research indicating that change is stressful, even good change, explains why the holidays are so stressful, as we are taken out of normal routines and challenged to “perform” in new and abnormal ways during holidays. Furthermore, modern life in general is changing at a mind-numbing pace. So, how do we adapt to change more healthfully? T’ai Chi / Qigong (Chi Kung) tips for loosening your grip on the holidays, and on life in general, include “remembering to breathe.”

So, right now, place the tip of your tongue on the roof of your mouth, and then think of relaxing your torso open from the bottom abdominal area to allow the lower lungs to fill with air, observing as they fill up through the top as the upper chest inflates. Good. Now, on the sighing exhale observe your body “relaxing” the breath out from the top of your lungs all the way down to the bottom as your abdominal muscles relax back in . . . fully expending the air from the bottom of the lungs. Repeat this allowing the lungs to fill from the bottom all the way up to the top, and then relaxing the air out of the body from the top of the chest down to the upper pelvic muscles.

Although at first it seem as though the torso muscles work to expand the torso open for air, and then forcing the air out, little by little as you relax open to the breath, every atom of your being relaxes open to be breathed effortlessly. Every muscle in your head, face, shoulders, and torso . . . begins to let go, as though the breath were breathing you, and all you need to do is let go a little more with each sighing exhale.

The tip of the tongue placed on the roof of the mouth allows the breath in more gradually, rather than in one big open throated gush. Studies show this slow, gradual, inhale and exhale oxygenates the body much more effectively. As you breathe in the full breaths with the tip of the tongue on the roof of the mouth, your entire being relaxes open to the lightness of air, even the bones, organs, brain and heart. Then as you exhale every atom of your being can “let go” of everything it holds onto to release the loads and burdens of the mind, heart, and body to be exhaled into a healing lightness. You actually expand open with this lightness as an airy feeling of “effortlessness” permeates every tissue and field within and around your body.

This openness feels almost like the wind can blow right through you. Close your eyes so that you can feel internally the deep letting go as the bones themselves begin to release their grip on issues and tensions they may have unconsciously gripped. You will always find the more you let go, the more you can let go. As you approach the holidays or life beyond the holidays, allow your mind to release its expectations and obsessions as they come up. Let the world to flow to you and through you, rather than “reaching out” for outcome, and “holding on” to expectations. Often better opportunities are coming at us if we can let go of our grip on the past or illusions of the future.

By being “open” we may dream a much greater reality as it occurs, for the holidays and for our lives. By using holiday stress as a catalyst to breathe life and healing light into our clenching bodies, we can carry the promise of the holidays into our greater lives, breathing open to the goodness that waits to fill every aspect of our year and our lives.

You can experience a “Daily Dose of Bliss” by visiting www.worldtaichiday.org and clicking on Free Online Lessons then Sitting Qigong.