Archivi tag: #momtripelba

Beach Holiday in Phuket, Thailand (1st Prize of #momtripelba competition)

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This is the post winning the 2nd Prize at #momtripelba competition. The author is Ian Cartwright. You may know more about him looking at his blog Eager Existence.

I guess being Australian, and growing up on the coast, I always associate summer fun with beaches.. but everybody does don’t they? When you’re sitting at work, day dreaming away about your next holiday destination, its usually somewhere tropical, just like your desktop screensaver.

I’ve been chasing the sun around Europe for the best part of the last 10 months, and in that time I’ve had the pleasure of seeing some of the greatest beaches on earth (following closely behind our own beaches in Australia, of course). I’ve scootered along the Amalfi Coast of Italy, spent days lazing around at Praia a Mare, partied on the Greek Islands and again in Ibiza, explored the Croatian Dalmatian coast with a lover.

But one of my most memorable holidays was the two weeks I spent in Phuket, Thailand with my girlfriend.

The Birthday Gift

I bought us two tickets to Phuket for her 21st birthday, a surprise. It was her first time leaving Australia, and I wanted to be the one who got to share that experience with her. I remember it vividly because it took months of preparation, five months before the holiday I had to assume we would still be together, and went about organising with her mother to get her a passport. Now, she was a smart girl, my girlfriend, so she cottoned on pretty quickly that she was getting this passport for something big, and something to do with me. But that’s all the information she got until the day of her birthday party.

It was a few years ago now, so the memory is a little bit cloudy, but from what I do remember, I printed the itinerary and showed it to her at her birthday party (which we moved forward a couple of weeks) in front of her friends and family. Two weeks in Phuket, Thailand. Not all-inclusive of course, I was younger then, and didn’t have a lot of spending money. But I booked us a few nights in several places along the island so we had the opportunity to explore everything, most importantly the beautiful beaches.

Stopover in Siloso Beach, Singapore

Our first stopover was in Singapore, where we explored Siloso Beach, Sentosa Island, Singapore. It was summer, mid-November, so it was really humid. I remember the humidity was up near 90%, so much so, that 15 minutes outside and my shirt was sticking to me with sweat. But the beach on Sentosa Island was lovely, busy with locals and tourists. Too bad about the coarse sand though.

Karon Beach

Once we made it to Phuket, our first nights were in Karon Beach. I remember Karon well because we stayed in a guesthouse above a Pizzeria. The rooms were so dodgy we spent all day at the markets deliberately. The lovely staff at the guesthouse threw in a free meal though, to consolidate us for our poor accomodation. I wouldn’t rate Karon as the best place to stay in Phuket, unless you want to be close to the shops and markets. You’re better suited staying in Patong (party beach), or more secluded Kata (resort beach).

Patong Beach and Bangla Road

Then the very touristy Patong Beach, Phuket, Thailand. Where we stayed escapes me, but Patong Beach is one of the most famous ones for nightlife and Bangla Road (and lady boys).

Bangla Road just starts up as the sun goes down, and its world-renowned for being Patong’s liveliest party zone. The nightlife is raunchy, the music is loud, and the party goes all night most nights of the year. Due to the large volume of bars in the area, it’s easy to walk around without fear, you will be approached often by bars competing for costumers.. games of pool, free shots, dances with the ladyboys, you name it.

We spent a couple of nights here, and attempted to hit the bars on Bangla Road. After a couple of games of pool, and drinks with the “boys” we were keen to head back to the hotel and do what couples do.

Kata Beach Resorts

For the big finish, on her birthday night, I booked us a night in a 4 star resort overlooking a private beach. The room had its own jacuzzi. Candles, and complimentary bottle of Champagne. Romantic, huh?

being pampered with drinks at the resort

our world class accommodation

Kata is just a few minutes from Karon beach, and it has lovely crystal clear waters and white sands, and plenty of opportunities for cocktails and massage on the beach by day. It’s popular amongst couples and some families though, maybe because of the palm-lined beaches and restaurant scene.

Phi Phi Islands

During the trip we also took day trips to Kho Phi Phi Islands, some of the most magnificent beaches I have ever seen. The sand is a pure white, the water is a crystal clear blue, so blue you can see the rocks at the bottom and the fish swimming around.

posing in front of the famous 'james bond' island

We also made a stop off at the famous Phang Nga (James Bond) Island, the tourist photo mecca.

monkeys on the beach in phuket

And the equally as famous “Monkey Beach” where the monkeys are quite aggressive at getting food from the tourists.

Phuket is a whole other experience. Inland you have the amazingly friendly Thai people, the crazy scooter drivers, the worn down mountain roads. Then you have the contrast of the beaches. There’s the touristy party beaches, with cocktail bars and merchants all along the sand. There’s the more secluded romantic getaway beaches, where you might only see one or two other couples off in their own little universe. Few islands in the world can boast such an abundance of sandy beaches and clear waters as Phuket can. Whether its the party lifestyle that comes with Patong, or the more remote stretches of beaches in the north, Phuket has something for all sun-seekers.

relaxing on the beach in phuket

phi phi 5

snorkling in phuket

phi phi 4

phi phi 3

phi phi 2

phi phi 1

If you haven’t been to Phuket, or Thailand. I highly recommend it. Some of the best beaches I have ever seen.

July Morning (2nd Prize of #momtripelba competition)

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This is the post winning the 2nd Prize at #momtripelba competition. The author is Albena Krasteva. You may know more about him looking at his blog Paper Plane Travel.
The sea level has the exquisite privilege to be the point of reference to which altitudes are measured.
Further, it is to mark a metaphorical beginning.
Though I have no recollection of the occasion, I am often told that when I first saw theBlack seaat the tender age of I-don’t-remember-but-I-must-have-been-young, I was looking perplexed, struggling to understand what seemed completely unnatural and foreign to the world I had known up to that point – the possibility of infinity. “It does not end. It has no end.” – I was repeating.
Today, as I have grown in size, and, as I tend to claim at job interviews, in knowledge, I know the sea is not infinite. Not in terms of geography, anyway.
As I have grown in size, and, as I tend to claim in the company of adults, in understanding of the world, one thing has not changed – the sea with its splendour, the beach as its earthly receiver, for me, still mark a beginning. A beginning to any altitude my life could achieve, a beginning of a perception of the infinite, and an escape into that perception.
Have you ever heard of July Morning? Do you remember the hippies? Do you dream?
In 1971, Uriah Heep came up with a song called July Morning.  Forty years later, in a small country in the East of Europe, called Bulgaria, every year, on the first of July, people gather at the beaches of Black sea to wait for the sunrise.
June 30th, 2009 was my graduation day. High school graduation. Seems like ages ago now. It really wasn’t. I showed up in jeans, t-shirt, and a travel bag. I do not know what I should have felt, though I always assumed it wasn’t what I did feel – impatient. High school was over, graduation day did not mean much to me, I wanted it to be over faster. It was time for the new beginning. Only a few hours later, me, my bag, my diploma, and a good friend of mine, her bag, brother and diploma were on our way to the seaside. We were headed to July Morning.
There is something very rebellious in the idea of a hippie Holiday to a county, who was experiencing full-time communism when the original hippies were around. This is how the movement started, inBulgariain the 1980s.
There is something very liberating in the idea of the hippies to someone, like me, who hasn’t been around to experience it firsthand. And, at the age of 18, the idea of Alexander-Supertramp-kind-of-way-of-looking-at-the-world, the quest for some sort of ultimate freedom, was what made my heart race with excitement. It still does.
So on the day of our graduation, on the eve of July 1st, we were on an 8-hour-long train journey to the seaside. John Lawton from Uriah Heep was playing the song with the sunrise in Kamen Briag, but we couldn’t make it on time. So we settled forVarna. We were to arrive at 5ish in the morning, and as the train was approaching, but not quite there yet, the outside was getting lighter and lighter. Did we miss it? Is it happening now? Why haven’t we arrived yet? Will we miss the sunrise?? Will we miss July Morning?!
We stepped out of the train station, fearfully looking for a sun in the sky. It wasn’t there yet, good sign. We rushed to the beach. I still remember the feel of the sand, the smell of the sea. It didn’t feel like any other time. It was more. It took us a few minutes to find a place to settle among the large groups of enthusiasts. And then the sun rised. Perfect timing.
Someone started singing the song:
There I was on a July Morning…
Everyone else followed:
Looking for love.
With the strength of a new day dawning, and the beautiful sun…
I wish I could tell you what that feeling was. The calm, the peace. The liberating belief in the world. The pure joy. The overwhelming sense of relief. The impatient expectation of what was to follow. The end and the beginning. The hope. The dream of heights. The dream. I wish I could tell you how it felt.
With the day came the resolution
I’ll be looking for you.
We fell asleep, right there on the beach soon after. When we woke up a few hours later, the sun was high in the sky, the july morning people had left, their place was taken by tourists lying around in swimsuits, getting tanned. Life had gone back to its normal occurrences.
At the sound of the first bird singing I was leaving for home. With the storm and the night behind me and a road of my own.

7 spiagge meravigliose (3°classificato al contest #momtripelba)

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Il contest in inglese che ho organizzato insieme al blog Travel-Moments in Time è terminato. Uno dei tre vincitori è un italiano, toscano come me, Alessandro Bertini, autore del blog Girovagate. Poichè lui ha scritto il post per il concorso in inglese e italiano, pubblico volentieri anche il testo in italiano. Eccolo…

“Portami alla mia spiaggia“! Come il ritornello di una canzone delle All Saints, colonna sonora di un (in)dimenticabile film con Leonardo di Caprio, “il posto dove amo stare” è una spiaggia immacolata. In ogni stagione, a qualunque latitudine. Non importa se c’è la sabbia, pietre o sassi. Penso di aver sempre avuto una vera, intensa, profonda passione per la spiaggia: il tocco morbido della sabbia sotto i miei piedi e il profumo della salsedine che sale dalla marea mi rendono semplicemente felice :-) Quando ero un bambino ero abituato a stare tutto il giorno sulla spiaggia sabbiosa di Igea Marina, sulla Riviera Adriatica, durante il paio di settimane di vacanza della mia famiglia. In quel periodo “spiaggia” significava giocare a bocce, a racchettoni e a pallone o costruire qualcosa che somigliasse a un castello (fare sculture di sabbia non era la mia vocazione…). Qualche volta mio padre mi prendeva per le gambe e tracciava un percorso con il mio sedere per giocare con le biglie di vetro…! Crescendo il mio sentimento verso la spiaggia non è diminuito ed insieme alla mia fidanzata ho visto molti splendidi posti girovagando per la nostra splendida Italia e talvolta anche per il mondo :-) Quale amo di più? Tutte, lo giuro. Noi preferiamo le spiagge solitarie, lontane dalla folla. Quelle che non si trovano facilmente. Anche se, alla fine, le amo davvero tutte!

Ero al settimo cielo quando vidi per la prima volta i colori di Cuba…

(Varadero beach)
…e non immaginavo quanto può essere sorprendente la natura selvaggia del Portogallo…

(Praia do Guincho -  endless autumn)
Croazia! Un sacco di piccole spiagge, acque trasparenti

(Murter)
Ti piacerebbe sdraiarti sulla spiaggia e prendere la tintarella vicino a una…. mucca? E’ possibile, in Corsica!

(Lodo, desert of Agriates)

Mar Rosso: nuotare con i pesci colorati è indescrivibile…

(Abu Dabab – Gigi Ibrahim)
E cosa dire sulle spiagge immacolate dell’Irlanda?

(Dingle peninsula)
Porto Badisco in Puglia, il mitico approdo di Enea… spettacolare! Ma meglio andarci fuori stagione!

Porto Badisco – loloieg

And the winners of Trippando’s and Travel-Moments in Time’s competition are…

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Dear bloggers, we enjoyed all your entries very much. But we should only choose three winners. Since your blogs are very interesting and your entries great, all of you win an interview on Trippando. You may write to silvia.ceriegi@alice.it and get in touch for your interview.

After reading, re-reading and talking a lot, we decided the three winners. They are:

  • Third Prize (Three night stay at Hotel Le Acacie – B&B accommodation): Girovagate’s blogger Alessandro Bertini
  • Second Prize (One week stay at Residence Le Acacie – self catering accommodation): Paper-Plane Travel‘s blogger Albena Krasteva
  • Grand Prize (One week stay at Hotel Le Acacie – B&B accommodation): Eager Existence‘s blogger Ian

The three winners may get in touch with Hotel & Residence Le Acacie info@acacie.it to decide the dates for their holiday at Elba Island.

The three winner posts will be posted on Trippando and Travel – Moments in Time during the next three days.

A big thank you to Violeta-Loredana Pascal for organizing this travel writing competition with me and to Cristiana Bartolini, the Acacie’s owner, to offer such big prizes.

Entries in the contest organized by Trippando and Travel – Moments in Time

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Yesterday it was the final day in which travel bloggers all over the world could participate in a contest with great prizes from Acacie Hotel in Elba Island, Italy. The contest was organized on Trippando and Travel – Moments in Time blogs, and the rules were presented here.

We were so happy to see many interesting posts. Here’s a list with the entries in the contest (chronological list).

  1. Ian – Eager Existence – Beach Holiday in Phuket, Thailand http://eagerexistence.com/travel/2012/beach-holiday-phuket-thailand/
  2. Mary Jane Cryan – 50 Years In Italy – Top ten italian beaches http://50yearsinitaly.blogspot.com/2012/01/top-ten-italian-beaches.html
  3. Michael Schurmann – Easyhiker – Beaches In the South Of France                  http://easyhiker.co.uk/sun-and-beaches-in-the-south-of-france/
  4. Aurora Domeniconi – Aury’s Passions – Wild beaches of Scotland http://auroradomeniconi.wordpress.com/2012/01/14/wild-beaches-of-scotland/
  5. Albena Krasteva – Paper-Plane Travel – Moments in Time Beach http://paperplanetravel.blogspot.com/2012/01/moments-in-time-beach.html
  6. Jason Noronha – The Orange Mango – top 5 beaches in Goa          http://www.theorangemango.com/top-5-beaches-in-goa/
  7. Roberta Zennaro – gamberettarossa – Bir Ali my favourite beach http://gamberettarossa.wordpress.com/2012/01/17/bir-ali-my-favourite-beach/
  8. Kasia Dietz – Love in the city of lights – Walk of life http://www.loveinthecityoflights.com/travel/walk-of-life/
  9. Dario (guest) for Katrina Stovold – Tour Absurd – Beach Flashbacks       http://www.tourabsurd.com/
  10. Alessandro Bertini – Girovagate – Alcune delle spiagge più belle che ho visto! 7 wonders of mine, contest for Trippando                                                                                 http://girovagate.blogspot.com/2012/01/7-spiagge-meravigliose-wonders.html
  11. Lynne Gray – Thatspr – In the rain and the wind, I’m dreaming of beaches http://thatspr.wordpress.com/2012/01/19/in-the-rain-and-the-wind-im-dreaming-of-beaches/

On January 25th we will announce the three winners of the contest. It is a very hard period for us, due to the fact that all entries are indeed great.

Thank you all for participating in this contest!

Voglia di Elba: tra ricordi di gioventù e progetti da mamma

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Sono diversi mesi che parlo e scrivo di Isola d’Elba. In particolare, il contest organizzato insieme a Violeta-Loredana Pascal e sponsorizzato da Cristiana Bartolini dell’Hotel & Residence Le Acacie di Naregno (la spiaggia di Capoliveri) mi ha fatto venire una gran voglia di ritornarci. E mi ha fatto pensare alle mie vacanze all’Elba.

Ho trascorso all’Elba le prime due vacanze estive della mia vita. Sinceramente non mi ricordo niente: avevo un anno e mezzo la prima vacanza e due anni e mezzo la seconda. Ricordo però perchè i miei, che prima di avere me ci andavano ogni anno, decisero dopo quelle due esperienze di non tornarci più: soffrivo il mal di mare. E con la mamma ansiosa la cosa diventava impossibile.

Sono ritornata all’Elba a vent’anni. Quattro ragazze. Due tende. In campeggio a Lacona. Cosa dire oltre che difficilmente si andava a dormire prima delle quattro del mattino? Beh, sicuramente che la spiaggia di Cavoli non aveva uguali. Per bolgia. Arrivavamo sulla spiaggia verso l’ora di pranzo, dopo aver parcheggiato a più di un chilometro di distanza. E trovavamo giusto giusto lo spazio per accatastare borse e asciugamani uno sopra l’altro. Ma era bellissimo. A vent’anni. Era l’estate in cui la Roma aveva vinto lo scudetto e quando il sole calava e la gente iniziava a svegliarsi, la spiaggia risuonava dell’inno romanista cantato da Venditti. Se ci penso, mi emoziono. La sera andavamo sempre a ballettare al “Tinello” a Marina di Campo. Chi è stato ventenne ad inizio millennio non può non ricordarselo. Leggandario.

La mia seconda volta “da grande” all’Elba la ricordo con ancor più divertimento. Era l’estate prima della laurea e sono partita con tre amici di università: eravamo due femmine e due maschi. Nessuno interessato a nessuna e viceversa. La cosa più divertente era vedere la gente che ci guardava e non capiva chi stava con chi. Per forza. Nessuno stava con nessuno. Una volta ce lo chiesero anche. Ed uno di noi ebbe l’intuizione. Che poi abbiamo rivenduto per il resto della vacanza: “siamo cugini”. La cosa bella, per me, è che alloggiavamo a casa “del cugino” a Cavo. Proprio il luogo dove ero stata da bambina e di cui tanto avevo sentito parlare dai miei genitori. WOW!

La voglia di Elba non si ferma qui: quest’estate ci tornerò. Sarà una vacanza un pò diversa dalle due che ricordo: adesso “tengo famiglia”. Niente discoteche, niente spiaggiate, niente giri di coktails coi “cuigini”. Un bel pò di mare col bimbo e il marito. E tanto, tanto riposo.

Perchè il bello dell’Isola d’Elba è che giovani scapestrati e famiglie con bimbi al seguito convivono negli stessi spazi. Convivono…diciamo che sono sulla stessa Isola ma non si incontrano nemmeno. Perchè all’Elba si può vivere la notte e starci quindici giorni in piena estate tornando a casa bianchi come mozzarelle (esperienza personale). Oppure godere di un mare splendido, così calmo che riesce anche a me nuotarci (di solito galleggio soltanto!), rilassarsi su spiagge tranquille, passeggiare alla sera tra le bancarelle che tutti i paesi dell’Isola hanno.

Cara Elba, ci vediamo presto!!

Trippando and Travel – Moments in Time are offering you three holidays to Elba Island

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Enter the first international Trippando’s and Travel – Moments in Time travel writing competition and win 3 fabulous holidays to Elba Island!

Are you a blogger? Do you like writing about your travel experiences? Well here’s your chance. Enter our writing competition and you could win one of the three fantastic holidays to Hotel Residence Le Acacie at Elba Island.

The hotel & residence “Le Acacie”, situated in the wide and green vale of Naregno, and harmoniously settled in it, extends to the sandy beach, easily reached passing through the large private garden. To see the amazing surroundings and how the hotel’s apartments look, enter the official website: http://www.acacie.it/en/ (they have English, Italian, French and German versions). You’ll enjoy the sun and an amazing 4 star hotel services in a great place in this world, in Italy.

Start the new year in a great way and win great prizes!

How to participate:

  1. From January 5th to January 20th 2012, write a post about “Beach” and post it on your blog.

  2. Include in your post a reference to the fact that this is part of the Trippando’s  and Travel – Moments in Time’s contest about this topic

  3. Include, at the end of your post, links to Trippando’s (http://trippando.wordpress.com/) and Travel-Moments in Time’s (http://travel.prwave.ro/) blogs and to the Acacie’s web (http://acacie.com)

  4. Let us know that you’ve posted an article by tweeting it with the hashtag #momtripelba. If by chance you don’t use twitter, email it to silvia.ceriegi@alice.it. We’ll read them all, and retweet some too!

  5. On January 25th 2012 we’ll announce the winners and publish the three winning posts on Trippando and Travel – Moments in Time blogs.

Special mentions:

  • your travel blog may be in any language – BUT the post you’ll write to enter this contest MUST be in English

Prizes:

Residence & Hotel Le Acacie offers to the winners:

  1. The Grand Prize: One week stay at  Hotel Le Acacie (B&B accommodation)
  2. Second Prize: One week stay at Residence Le Acacie (self catering accommodation)
  3. Third Prize: Three night stay at Hotel Le Acacie (B&B accommodation)

* Transport and leisure or other activities are not included!

* The prizes are for two people!

* The prizes are available anytime during this year, except for August!

Enter the contest now!