Category Archives: hotels

The Miss Bath contest needs you!

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And why does it need you? Well if you are an eligible and interesting young resident of Bath, then you should know that the city is taking aim at beauty pageant stereotypes with their latest Miss Bath competition. Officials are out to change the image of beauty pageants everywhere—beginning in Bath. This year, contest officials have put out the call for young women who are not just beautiful, but also intelligent and multifaceted. They’re hoping to revolutionize the contest’s image. It’s not just the Miss Bath competition and its image at stake, however. The winner of the Miss Bath title will have the chance to go on and compete for the title of Miss England, currently held by Jessica Linley. The Miss England title then feeds into the competition for the Miss World title.

A Year of Change

So why are Bath officials so interested in a change this year? The Miss Bath competition wasn’t held last year, but this year, with the challenge of revitalizing and modernizing the role ahead of them, there are already several promising candidates applying for the a role in the contest. Says Linley, “The ethos of Miss England is beauty with a purpose. It is so much more than looking beautiful.” She believes that the nature of the title and the role behind requires intelligence and charisma as well as beauty. So, too, do officials.

Are You Interested?

The contest is open to single young women between the ages of seventeen and twenty-four. They must be residents of Bath and they must be childless. Entries are accepted until January 7th and organizers are hopeful that their final, which will be held at the Hilton Hotel one of many luxury hotel Bath, will feature the top twelve contestants. According to Director Angie Beasley “Bath is a beautiful city and we want to make sure it’s represented in 2011.” The six women who are the currently selected competitors, as well as any other women selected to compete, will be given a period of a month to promote themselves and secure votes on the competition’s website. After that, there will be a decision making luncheon where the winner will be selected by a panel of judges that includes Linley, Beasley, and representatives from the event sponser, Dappa. The winner will be crowned at the hotels Bath location and awarded a prize through Dappa. Her next competition will be a regional heat for Miss England, which will take place in the summer.

Argylls Festivals of Song and Dance

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Argyll is a wonderful part of Scotland and there is no better way to enjoy this scenic and beautiful area by coinciding your visit with one of the wonderful festivals that area has to offer.

Should you have stayed in one of the many Self Catering Cottages in Scotland before then you will already know that there is certainly plenty to do and see throughout the year. There really is something for everyone to enjoy such as music festivals ranging from rock to Gaelic and jazz, you really do get a great mix of styles, sights and sounds whilst visiting Scotland. Much of the year’s events take place between the months of March and September but many more happen throughout the year.

The Argyll Drama Festival is just one of the fantastic events you could be missing out on in the great area of Argyll. If watching some great plays and performances is your thing then certainly don’t miss the Argyll Drama Festival. This great event runs for 4 nights during April and gives people of all ages the chance to not only watch some great performances but to take part and do some acting themselves. Sometimes you can view up to four performances each night all of which are guaranteed to be top quality and very entertaining. The festival has grown from strength to strength since it was first started in 1946.

Other great examples of festivals in and around Argyll are the Atlantic Islands Festival, the Bute Line dance Festival and Feis Ile – Islay Festival of Malt and Music.

So remember next time you are staying in  Argyll Cottages on holiday that you have a huge list of festivals available to visit and take advantage of.

The return to Bath of The Duenna, the most popular English opera

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Over 230 years ago two composers from Bath and popular playwright Richard Brinsley Sheridan worked together on an idea of creating an English opera.  The composers Thomas Linley Snr and Thomas Linley Jnr were unaware that this piece would become the countries most popular and famous opera to date.

Owing to the discovery of some original manuscripts a new performance of this great opera will be shown in its original setting some 230 years since its creation. Audience members will be able to enjoy almost a third of the opera that has not been seen since its first performance.

Preformed by the English Touring Company this performance of The Duenna at the Royal Theatre will be a great addition to an already wonderful Bath short break at one of the cities Bath hotels.

Baths Festival of Children’s Literature Returns

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Now in it’s forth year the popular Festival of Children’s Literature has returned to Bath as a great success.  The festival spanned ten days and has developed over the past 4 years into a great and imaginative literature showcase for children (and adults) of all ages.

Many of the festivals events are taken to local schools within the area and feature many unique performances and workshops with authors, illustrators, poets and storytellers.  This year the festival combined and celebrated the seventieth birthday of the popular children’s book publishers Puffin Books. Festival goers were very fortunate to have been involved in the ‘Big Puffin Prize Book Quiz’ hosted by the fabulous author Jeremy Strong.

The festival is renowned for being a wonderful experience and draws many families from around the country to come and visit the city of Bath during their stay.  Combining the festival with a Bath Short Break has become a very popular choice for many families each year.

The festival not only gives children a great insight into the different genres of books and a chance to experience storytellers bringing books alive in their own special way, but also encourages adults to learn more about the art of writing for children by offering workshops and talks.

Next year’s festival is already being planned with organisers facing the difficult challenge of improving their offerings once again. It really is recommended to get yourself and your family prepared for the next event in 2011 by ensuring you know exactly which Bath Hotel you will be staying at.

The festival is sponsored by the Daily Telegraph and Waterstones and is typically hosted during late September and early October.

Guide to the top-selling hotels in Las Vegas

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las vegas hotels

There’s never been a better time to visit Las Vegas. Four and five star Las Vegas hotels are comparable in price to a two star hotel in New York so you get a lot of hotel for your money. The weather is also idyllic, the scorching summer temperatures are receding and the more bearable autumnal temperatures which are generally in the low 30′s centigrade mean you have the perfect weather. So for cheap holidays Las Vegas where should you stay?

Well, the top-selling Las Vegas hotels would be the perfect place to start and where better still than the Bellagio hotel, which is not just the top-selling hotel in Las Vegas, but the world. The Bellagio Hotel barely needs an introduction, several famous movie appearances including Oceans Eleven and, more recently, The Hangover make it a well-known establishment even for those who’ve never been to Las Vegas. Out of all the Las Vegas hotels, the Bellagio is the one everyone wants to stay at and for those whose budget won’t stretch to staying the night here, then at the very least they want to come and admire it, to soak up its success and revel in the grandeur and splendour of its luxurious casino, its magnificent Michelin-star awarded restaurants and its celebrity-frequented bars and nightclubs.

Another of the Las Vegas hotels worth considering if you want to revel in pure luxury is Encore at the Wynn. The Wynn resort, comprising the Wynn Hotel and Encore at the Wynn was the largest privately-funded construction project in the US when it was completed in 2008 at a staggering cost of US$2.7 billion. If you compare this to the original rebuild cost of the World-Trade Centre at US$1.7 billion then you know the Encore at the Wynn is going to be something special even against the many other luxurious Las Vegas hotels.

For those looking to party and have a good time, cheap holidays Las Vegas often begin and end at the four-star Planet Hollywood. Aimed at the 25′s – 40′s age bracket, Planet Hollywood is enviably situated opposite the Bellagio, right at the heart of the Las Vegas Strip and is one of the top-selling Las Vegas hotels. This hip & trendy resort can offer guests all the Las Vegas entertainment they can handle including a fabulous casino, an array of gourmet restaurants and quick-eat cafes, incredible night life, world-class shopping plus impeccable service and facilities to put most five star establishments to shame.

Last but not least in our run-through of the top-selling Las Vegas hotels is the four-star Mandalay Bay Resort which opened in 1999, offering guests in excess of 3,300 rooms within its 43-story luxury hotel. Set in 60 acres of tropically-landscaped surrounds, guests have access to a mind-boggling array of facilities including, a stunning “tropical beach” with a fabulous beach pool and meandering lazy river for the ultimate in relaxation, a huge casino measuring 135,000 square feet, a specially built Shark Reef Aquarium and abundant drinking, dining, health spa, shopping and entertainment options. In 2004 the luxury all-suite THEhotel at Mandalay Bay was added to the resort offering a further 1,120 suites. Guests staying at Mandalay Bay also have direct access to the luxurious dining and socialising options available at THEhotel. For families looking at cheap holidays Las Vegas, the Mandalay Bay Resort is the perfect blend of family fun and adult entertainment all within a beautiful tropical paradise.

Breaks at Luxury Spa Hotels

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Couple enjoying a spa break

These days, when many people are looking for a hotel, they’ll be looking for more than just an overnight stay and somewhere to eat. Swimming pools, high-quality restaurants, and luxury spa hotels are all available to visitors now, and they can really add to any visit, whether it’s a week long holiday, a weekend break, or a necessary two day stay for a conference.

Of course, these places aren’t just used as hotels with spas attached, but also as fully developed spas themselves. Booking a trip purely to take advantage of the spa facilities is a great way to spend some time with a loved one, or a single day spent there can be a perfect opportunity to meet up with some friends, talk about anything you want to and have a calm, relaxing time. If you’re feeling particularly stressed or self-indulgent, then taking a trip to a spa on your own can offer some true ‘me-time’, helping you to relax, unwind and forget about all the stresses and strains of the outside world.

Something that a lot of people might not take into consideration is that spas aren’t just for women. Men get stressed too, and disappearing for a weekend to be pampered is just as relaxing for a guy as it is for a girl. It’s even possible to take a group of friends and enjoy the facilities together, or surprise a loved one by being the one to suggest a romantic weekend away being pampered together.