Los Jandalos, Puerto de Santa María

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: Quiet, picturesque and relatively unspoiled. Year round sunshine.
Disadvantages: Very hilly. Parking can be a problem. Maybe too quiet for some. Small beach.

...Tenerife is the largest and the second most popular of the Canary Islands. Sadly, nowadays Tenerife has developed a bit of a reputation for pubs, clubs and chavs. Luckily, the north (Puerto de la Cruz and Santa Cruz de Tenerife) of the island still retains a better reputation, being rather more picturesque and lush. However, the south of the island is a lot more built up, with the most popular southern resorts being Playa de las Americas and Los Cristianos, both of which are fairly teaming with nightclubs, high rise hotels, neon signage and fast food eateries. To be frank, Playa de la Americas is rather dirty and seedy looking in places - it's really seen better days. Los Cristianos (once a quiet and sleepy fishing village) is a little newer and shinier. However, both resorts are loud, brash and overcrowded. Yet if you are after... 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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