BravoClub Vila do Farol, Santa Maria

Advantages: affordable value carribean
Disadvantages: you will need insect repellent!

...9 hours on a cramped Thomas cook charter flight was worth it after finally arriving at the Melia Cayo santa maria.From the airport(Santa Clara) to the hotel is an hour and a half by road across an amazing dual carriageway which joins Cuba to the island of Santa Maria.This is similar to the Florida keys road seen on many tourist photographs and meanders curling around like a snake with the sea feet away on both sides from your coach. The hotel itself has modern low rise (2 storey) blocks scattered throughout the complex all tastefully furnished and air conditioned (boy do you need that!),It has two glorious free form swimming pools with a swim up bar and plenty of places to eat.You have two reservations per week at the two a la carte restaraunts (the best by far is the mediteranean where the fillet mignon is superb!)and the 24 hour pool... Read review

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Advantages: Away from the Tourist Hoards of St Marks.
Disadvantages: None

...Just returned from our annual anniversery trip to Venice and noticed that no-one has done a review on this church as yet. Just Jump on Vaperreto Number 2 outside St Marks. As you stand by the water at St Marks you can not but notice a large Church on the opposite side of the Canal which is the Church of Santa Maria Della Salute, I am afraid I did not take any photos this year as the main dome is covered in scaffolding, in fact there seemed to be more buildings this year that were being worked on. This is not a critism of Venice, by its nature restortaion work is a necessity. It was on 22 October 1630 that the Senate of Venice decided to build a Church to Honour the Madonna to mark the end of the Plague which had devestated Venice. So the first stone was laid on April 1st 1631, what a change from here where it seems to take... Read review

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Advantages: A really little jewel you can't miss...
Disadvantages: The most important part of it it's his exterior view

..., and was chosen by a lot of artists as a temporary residence, like Leopardi, Shelly and Byron. I think that you must take a tour around it, in every road, above all the little one, you can find little but beautiful buildings, you can see through the houses windows Renaissance wall paintings, or vaults… Well let's return to the main subject of this op. Santa Maria della Spina is one of the first things that catches your attention by walking along the Arno (on the Lurgarno). It is situated near the Ponte Solferino, it is one bridge from the city main roads (Borgo Stretto and Corso Italia) where there is Palazzo Gambacorti, the municipality. (Easily reachable by feet) It was edified in 1230 as an oratory to protect the "ponte novo", a bridge linking S. Antonio and S. Maria road and it was called S. Maria del pontenovo. It is the result of a lot... Read review

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