The home offers an abundance of green and sustainable features. Being situated in the mountain it maintains an even temperature so little additional energy is needed. In addition to the properties of the house, we purchase in-season products from local farmers and offer organic farm-to-table (when available) breakfasts. Our sundries (soap, shampoo, hand and body creams) come from Camille Beckman, a local (Eagle, ID) yet national award winning fragrance manufacturer. All of our wine is purchased from Idaho wineries. Whenever possible, we try to buy all of our products from local vendors. We believe in keeping to the community.

In additional to the green features of the home, you’ll really be impressed at how quiet the property is. This is due to the fact that it sits near the end of a road with little through traffic and remote neighbors. The hillside construction provides superior insulation to the outside world. However, if you’re looking for a more active day or evening, we are five minutes away from downtown and all the action. So walk the hillside, ride a bike, view our abundance of wildlife (like our albino deer), explore bo-do, have some afternoon wine or tea, and take in dinner at our recommended restaurants. Then come back to our luxurious beds, take in a free movie on Netflix, and top it off with a nightcap. Oh and don’t forget to wake up to our breakfast basket like our original Hill House cinnamon rolls. All of this in our unique, historic, and relaxing environment. Please note that we offer in-room, private patio, and communal patio dining.

Each of our guest suites are uniquely decorated and include: private entrances so you don’t feel like you’re disturbing anyone else (especially the innkeepers , private baths, refrigerators, microwaves, HDTV with built-in dvd players and free Netflix (as well as a host of other free channels), a huge dvd library, central heat and air conditioning (top floor), and complimentary coffee for our in-room Keurig coffee makers. Some of our guest suites include a private hot tub, full size wood burning fireplace and full kitchen. Two offer private patio furniture on the terrace to eat outside, have some afternoon wine, read a good book, or just to take in the view of the mountains.

Learn more at Boise Hillside Suites Bed and Breakfast

Many of you have read my ramblings in Israel before and how beautiful it is. I’ve written about places to visit and how to backpack across Israel. But recently I was looking at taking my family there and backpacking won’t cut it, I want to give my wife a luxurious experience and provide the kids with a nice place to stay. I found a truly magnificent Hotel in Tel Aviv online while I was searching. This hotel offers a true luxury experience. They are located in Tel Aviv right on the beach and know how to treat their guests to a luxury travel experience. They offer a variety of fine dining for the entire family and they provide 2 bedroom suites so we can put the kids in their own room. The rooms look stunning and start around $250 a night up to $1600 + a night to fit a variety of budgets. Check them out and you’ll be amazed as I was when I saw how beautiful this hotel really is!

Check out our friends over at JOM.com.my, they are aspiring to be the number one hotel booking site in Malaysia and have a community driven by travel, places and food. Malaysians and other visitors can add, share, rate and review places they have visited, restaurants they have dined in or hotels they have stayed at. It’s the new Malaysia Social Travel Guide. There’s a lot of quality content there for discovering places to see and things to do. They also have some great discounts on Hotel bookings in Malaysia. So if you’re planning to pack your bags and head east, give their site a look, you will certainly discover some great new places to go see and eat at and may even fine some super deals on your hotel rooms.

On the list of places I was likely to travel to, Salt Lake City Utah certainly wasn’t at the top of the list. But looking at the new mall being built there, I may just change my mind.

City Creek Center is the first indoor destination in Salt Lake City as compelling as the majesty of Utah’s world-renown outdoor lifestyle of skiing, hiking, mountain biking, and mountaineering. It features a retractable roof, an indoor creek, a pedestrian skybridge.

And I assume you’ve heard of the Bellagio water fountain show in Las Vegas? This place has two 18 foot waterfalls, and three fountains developed by WET, the same designers who created the Bellagio fountains in Vegas. Here’s a place you can visit all indoors, all winter, without slipping on ice or ruining your shoes with salt because of a heated snow melt system.

City Creek Center is built on the site of two former shopping malls. They’ve got a pretty aggressive sustainability program — more than 80 percent of its materials recycled and reused from the previous structures. (As I shop I’ll be congratulating myself for saving the planet, LOL.)

Last but not least, City Creek Center will have a great mix of stores. Anchored by Nordstrom and Macy’s, approximately 80 stores and restaurants populate the center, a third of them completely new to Salt Lake.

Opening March 22, 2012, City Creek Center will be Utah’s newest retail and dining destination covering two downtown city blocks with a tempting mix of stores and restaurants. Can’t wait to see it for myself.

St Pancras International is a main interchange station for London and has high-speed trains transferring passengers directly to the Olympics Stadium via international trains. St Pancras International station provides trains to Europe. Direct trains to countries in Western European and connecting trains to Germany, Switzerland and Luxembourg, Europe.

http://stpancras-international.co.uk

Rushing into a shopping frenzy in the various tourist shops right after leaving that oh-so-memorable Greece yacht port would probably frustrate you if you do not have a brainstormed gift-shopping plan first. Just relax and take your precious time and do not worry because you have an extensive range of shopping choices in Greece. For your foodie loved ones, you can go to Monastiraki for delicious dry fruits and nuts or Thessaloniki for their famous sweets such as Tsoureki. There are also delightful clothing shops and bookshops there. Maybe you have friends who have experienced yachting in Greece, too, but unfortunately, they were not able to spend the lovely Aegean or Ionian yachting days with you this time, you might want to buy them sailing calendars or sailing books (for the literary enthusiasts). If you have bought clothes instead, you can match those with jewelries from the popular jewelry shops in Santorini. There are handicraft stores in there, too. If you are looking for exotic traditional amber bangles, you can go to Crete.  Back in Athens, you can opt to visit Plaka and get your pick from the array of Athenian souvenir and specialty items there.

There are many more quality shops and stores in Greece. After having a wonderful time yachting in Greece, you probably want to share the more-than-nice feeling. Just correctly identify or categorize what kind of gifts should be given to whom, check your budget, then visit those Grecian cities to shop and your yachting in Greece experience will definitely be complete!

Business Type Hotels

The Clarion Hotel and Conference Center

This property does a good job, managing small to medium meetings. The Clarion is located near the Interstate highway, for quick access to the downtown business district, just minutes away. Rates are from $69 to $85

Red Roof Inn – Pittsburgh South Airport Area

This hotel is rated very good to excellent in 12 out of 13 reviews. Their rooms are clean and the location is close to an Airport. The room rates are from $59 to $82. The food and facilities are rated good and the staff gets good comments too.

Only these two hotels are actually priced as budget hotels. There are currently no hostels in Pittsburgh, either. The next level up with rooms from $79 and up in the Best Value range are as follows.

The Best Western Parkway Center Inn has rooms from $79 to $126 per night. This hotel is located southwest, across the river from downtown, near the Penn Lincoln Parkway. So it has very easy access, direct to downtown. The rooms and food are rated good.

Bed and Breakfast Inns

Pittsburgh has two B&B that are reasonably priced, considering the price includes breakfast.

The Mansion at Maple Heights rates are from $89 to $259. Booking well in advance is necessary for the $89 room. Rated in the top 3 of 10 B&B in Pittsburgh, the breakfast is great and the rooms are well decorated and comfortable. In a great location east of Pittsburgh University and city center area. According to reviews, this is a great choice for an excellent, yet budget accommodation.

The R.H. Boggs House has bed and breakfast rates from $99 to $169. Rated in the top five of ten recommended B&B, the location is across the river, on the north side of city center. The rooms are rated great, as well as the breakfast. The owners get kudos for excellent service, and helping visitors get around town.

Attractions in Pittsburgh.

While in Pittsburgh, recommended attractions are as follows.

PNC Baseball Park – ESPN’s top rated baseball park in all the MLB.

Phipps Conservatory has some beautiful gardens and historic sites. The Conservator is only 2.4 miles from city center.

Heinz Field – Home of the Pittsburgh Steelers – Horseshoe American Football Stadium

If you are looking for more things to do in pittsburgh or thinking about living in Pittsburgh, check out stuckinpittsburgh.com

1. Do your research.

Research will help you save on time, money, and energy. By checking out the web directory or yellow pages for a list of Ouarzazate hotel, you’ll have a promising start at looking for things you really want. Not only that, you can also take a look at the photographs and screenshots of the hotel facilities. However, this shouldn’t be the sole basis of your choice, knowing that images are used merely for advertising purposes. Instead, it is highly advised that you still get referrals from friends or other travelers who have been to Ouarzazate. This way, you are assured of getting honest opinions and suggestions from people you know.

2. Check your budget.

You should also check your finances when looking for a hotel. There are different five-star and discount hotels in Ouarzazate. If you have sufficient budget for expensive accommodations, book in a luxurious hotel that will surely treat you like a VIP. But if your money is on a tight budget, you may settle for a number of good low-cost Ouarzazate hotels that still offer decent services.

You can also inquire directly at the hotel for any special program for the season. By learning about the discount packages of the hotel, you can maximize the value of your money. Why not ask around if there are Ouarzazate hotels that give special rates for first-time travelers like you?

3. Ask about the services and facilities.

When you inquire about an Ouarzazate hotel, remember to ask about the services that it offers. Contact the reservations manager or desk clerk for the facilities and amenities that they have for their guests. Considering that it will be your first time to visit Ouarzazate, make sure that you will enjoy your vacation by having the top-rate services and facilities possible in your chosen hotel.

4. Read hotel reviews.

As one of the most popular cities in Morocco, more travelers visit Ouarzazate every year. Hence, you may expect a good variety of tourist hotels that abound in the place. This also means that you won’t have a hard time finding a number of hotel reviews in magazines and travel catalogs. In such case, use these articles to choose the best Ouarzazate hotel for your special needs.

5. Make a reservation.

Once you have chosen your Ouarzazate hotel, the next thing that you should do is make a reservation. Experienced travelers would recommend that you book in advance, especially if you’re planning to to go to Ouarzazate on a holiday. This prevents you from competing with other guests and pay for higher rates. What’s more, you can also have the best room location if you book earlier.

You can search our database of hotels to book your trip directly.  Click to find your hotel and read reviews.

Choices in Malaga hotels include traditional luxury hotels, old castles and basic, quality hotels. There are a few five star hotels in Malaga, offering amenities such as private beaches, pools health clubs, tennis courts, salons, saunas and spacious rooms. Some even have a casino on premises such as the Hotel Torrequebrada, for example, and many have a restaurant and bar on premises as well. The larger luxury hotels may even offer babysitting, twenty-four hour room service and laundry services. As expected, these five star rated luxury hotels are the more expensive accommodations for travelers to the Costa del Sol region.

You may want to spend your vacation in an old restored castle. A few have been turned into hotels and have become popular for weddings and other larger group conferences. This is definitely a way to experience the area’s history. If you love historic places and castles, this is definitely an option you may want to consider.

There are several hotels in the area which are more reasonably priced and still provide quality accommodations. Many are located in the center of Malaga and, therefore, conveniently located close to public transportation. Some of these hotels date back to the eighteenth center and have been restored and decorated to reflect that time period when they were originally built. These hotels, of course, are less expensive than the luxury hotels described earlier as they offer the essential services but no additional amenities. These hotels are clean and comfortable and, particularly, suitable if you to not plan to spend a lot of time in your hotel but rather enjoying the town and attractions. Remember, the less you spend on accommodations the more money you have to enjoy the attractions and local fun.

When looking for a hotel, consider your needs and the services and amenities you do want in your hotel. Also consider you budget and how much you are comfortably able to spend on accommodations. How long you are staying should be a factor in this decision. If you are staying less than one week, you may choose to spend more on your accommodations. If you are staying longer than a week, you may want to choose a more reasonably priced hotel to avoid the high per night rate of luxury hotels. Finally, read hotel reviews to get an idea of the hotel’s quality. Some online travel sites offer reviews written by former guests providing the perspective of those who have already stayed at the hotel. This is a good source of information. A little research spent in the beginning will help ensure you have a great vacation experience in Malaga and its Costa del Sol region.

Hotel Tips

Though traveling to Italy is quite safe. However, it’s advisable and useful to gather some basic Italy travel tips. There are hundreds of small luxury hotels of the world and the cities of Italy have plenty to choose from. Some Italian hotels, and nearly all hotels in Rome, have at least one staff member who speaks English. Search out this person to ask for additional tips, such as great dining spots, local sights, public transportation and shopping areas. Staying in touch with family and friends can be expensive in Italy, especially if you call from your hotel. Keep in mind that American cell phones will not work without special international services or devices. And since hotels tend to overcharge for long-distance and international calls, it is best to make such calls from public phones, using international calling cards. Staying in a luxury hotel is quite fun, but if you have already been there and done that, it’s never too late to consider booking one of the many available luxury world cruises throughout the world.

Shopping Tips

One big draw for Italian tourists on a luxury travel trip is the shopping tour. Consider booking one of these guided tours, instead of charging off on your own. These shopping tours offer travelers a more comfortable way to “shop ‘til you drop.” Most of these tours include transportation to several different shopping districts and stores. Your guide will speak both English and Italian, in order to mediate your shopping experience. Yes, your major credit cards, such as American Express, Visa and Master Card, will work. But keep in mind that most American credit cards will charge a hefty currency fee, and use the most unattractive exchange rates. The best way to be safe and save money would be to use a combination of Euro Travelers Checks, Euros in cash and a credit card. Pick Pocketing can be an unfortunate reality of modern travel, so spreading the type of money you carry is the best choice.

Most stores and shops in Italy have operating hours that can be considered different, at least in comparison to what is expected in the United States. Normally, most Italian shops are open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Stores are usually closed between 1 and 3:30 p.m., to allow employees a chance to have a family lunch. Stores usually reopen around 3:30 or 4 p.m., and finally close around 7:30 to 8 p.m. In large cities and tourist areas, there is a tendency to stay open from 9.30 a.m. to 7.30 p.m., with possible variations from town to town. Keep in mind that shopping etiquette in Italy is much different than in the United States. When shopping for clothing, take note that many stores will not allow shoppers to try on shirts and blouses. Also, there is a size discrepancy, so make sure that an attendant measures your body before you purchase. It is also customary to tip attendants if they are personally assisting you with fittings and selection. Whether shopping or relaxing in a small luxury hotel, a customary tip can go a long way!