Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Vacation Paradises You May Not Know - Part 2

Sharm el-Sheikh (Egypt)
Sharm el-Sheikhis a city situated on the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula, in South Sinai Governorate, Egypt, on the coastal strip along the Red Sea. Its population is approximately 35,000 (2008). Sharm el-Sheikh is the administrative hub of Egypt's South Sinai Governorate which includes the smaller coastal towns of Dahab and Nuweiba as well as the mountainous interior, Saint Catherine's Monastery and Mount Sinai. The Israelis built the town of Ofira, overlooking Sharm el-Maya Bay and the Nesima area, and opened the first tourist-oriented establishments in the area 6 km north at Naama Bay. These included a marina hotel on the southern side of the bay, a nature field school on the northern side, diving clubs, a now well-known promenade, and the Naama Bay Hotel.


Taba (Egypt)
Taba (Arabic: طابا‎) is a small Egyptian town near the northern tip of the Gulf of Aqaba. Taba is the location of Egypt's busiest border crossing with neighboring Israel. Little more than a bus depot and a luxury hotel (complete with casino), Taba is a frequent vacation spot for Egyptians and tourists, especially those from Israel on their way to other destinations in Egypt or as a weekend getaway. It is the northernmost resort of Egypt's Red Sea Riviera. As part of this subsequent agreement, travellers are permitted to cross from Israel at the Eilat – Taba border crossing, and visit the "Aqaba Coast Area of Sinai", (stretching from Taba down to Sharm el Sheikh, and including Nuweiba, St Catherine and Dahab), visa-free for up to 14 days, making Taba a popular tourist destination.


Isles of Scilly (England)
The Isles of Scillyform an archipelago off the southwestern tip of the Cornish peninsula of Great Britain. The islands have had a unitary authority council since 1890, and are separate from the Cornwall unitary authority, but some services are combined with Cornwall and the islands are still part of the ceremonial county of Cornwall. This council is part of the UK and currently known as the Council of the Isles of Scilly. Of the other inhabited islands, Tresco is run as a timeshare resort, and is consequently the most obviously tourist-oriented. Bryher and St Martin's are more unspoilt, although each has a hotel and other accommodation. St Agnes has no hotel and is the least developed of the inhabited islands.


Mamanuca Islands (Fiji)
The Mamanuca Islands of Fiji are a volcanic archipelago lying to the west of Nadi and to the south of the Yasawa Islands. The group, a popular tourist destination, consists of about 20 islands, but about seven of these are covered by the Pacific Ocean at high tide.


Lefkada (Greece)
Lefkada, or Leucas (Greek: Λευκάδα, ; ancient Greek and Katharevousa: Λευκάς, Lefkás;) is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea on the west coast of Greece, connected to the mainland by a long causeway and floating bridge. The principal town of the island and seat of the municipality is Lefkada (city). It is situated on the northern part of the island, approximately 20 minutes by automobile away from Aktion National Airport. The island is part of the peripheral unit of Lefkada. The myth about Sappho's suicide at Cape Lefkada is related to other myths linking the island to the ancient Greek goddess of love, Aphrodite, and to Odysseus, the hero of Homer's Odyssey.


Mykonos (Greece)
Mykonos (Greek: Μύκονος) is a Greek island, part of the Cyclades, lying between Tinos, Syros, Paros and Naxos. The island spans an area of 85.5 km2 (33 sq mi) and rises to an elevation of 341 m (1,119 ft) at its highest point. The island is composed primarily of granite. It has little natural fresh water and relies on the desalination of sea water in order to meet the needs of its population. There are 9,320 inhabitants (2001) most of whom live in the largest town, Mykonos, also known as Chora (i.e. the Town in Greek, a common denomination in Greece when the name of the island itself is the same as the name of the principal town), which lies on the west coast. Mykonos is one of the most cosmopolitan islands in Greece, known for its diverse and intense nightlife as evidenced by a vast number of bars and nightclubs.


Carriacou and Petite Martinique (Grenada)
Carriacou and Petite Martinique' is the dependency of Grenada, laying north of Grenada island and south of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines in the Lesser Antilles. The Grenadine islands to the north of Carriacou and Petite Martinique belong to the nation of St. Vincent and the Grenadines. The neighbouring island of Petite Martinique is 2½ miles away from Carriacou, and also a part of Grenada. With its 586 acres (2.4 km²) and population of 900, it is smaller than Carriacou. Petite Martinique is much smaller, comprising about 9.8% of the total area and 30% of the entire population which is estimated at 10,000. The residents of this island live by boat-building, fishing and seafaring. Carriacou and Petite Martinique is known for its Regatta and Village Maroon.


St. George's (Grenada)
St. George's, population 89,018 (2000), with an agglomeration of 4,500 people is the capital of Grenada, (Gren-NAY-da). The city is surrounded by a hillside of an old volcano crater and is on a horseshoe-shaped harbour. The city is a popular tourist destination that attracts thousands of tourists, cruise ships, and even celebrities. The city has significantly developed in recent years, while preserving its rich history, culture, and natural beauty. The city is home of St. George’s University School of Medicine. The main exports are Cocoa bean cacao, nutmeg, and mace spice mace. It has a moderate tropical climate that endsures the success of spice production. Nutmegs are the most plentiful crop, followed by an array of such spices as cocoa, mace, cloves, vanilla, cinnamon and ginger.


Hanauma Bay (Hawaii)
Hanaumais a marine embayment formed within a volcanic cone and located along the southeast coast of the Island of Oʻahu (just east of Honolulu) in the Hawaiian Islands. Hana means 'bay' and uma means 'curve,' rendering "Curved Bay." Though some call it "Hanauma Bay," this is a tautology: Hawaiians simply call this feature "Hanauma". Hanauma is one of the most popular tourist destinations on the Island and has suffered somewhat from overuse (at one time accommodating over three million visitors per year). In the 1950s, dynamite was used to clear portions of the reef to make room for telephone cables to be brought in underwater.


Kauai (Hawaii)
Kauaʻi or Kauai, known as Tauaʻi in the ancient Kaua'i dialectis geologically the oldest of the main Hawaiian Islands. With an area of 562.3 square miles (1,456.4 km2), it is the fourth largest of the main islands in the Hawaiian archipelago, and the 21st largest island in the United States. Known also as the "Garden Isle", Kauaʻi lies 105 miles (170 km) across the Kauaʻi Channel, northwest of Oʻahu. This island is the site of Waimea Canyon State Park. 


Bali (Indonesia)
Bali is an Indonesian island located in the westernmost end of the Lesser Sunda Islands, lying between Java to the west and Lombok to the east. It is one of the country's 33 provinces with the provincial capital at Denpasar towards the south of the island. It is also the largest tourist destination in the country and is renowned for its highly developed arts, including dance, sculpture, painting, leather, metalworking, and music. Bali, despite being a tourist haven for decades, has seen a surge in tourist numbers in recent years.


Rathlin Island (Ireland)
Rathlin Island (Irish: Reachlainn or Reachra) is an island off the coast of County Antrim in Northern Ireland, and is the northernmost point of the region. Rathlin is the only inhabited offshore island in Northern Ireland, with a rising population of now just over 100 people, and is the most northerly inhabited island off the Irish coast. The L-shaped island is 4 miles (6 km) from east to west, and 2.5 miles (4 km) from north to south. Rathlin is 15.5 miles (25 km) from the Mull of Kintyre, the southern tip of Scotland's Kintyre peninsula. It is part of the Moyle District Council area, and is represented by the Rathlin Development & Community Association.


Langkawi (Malaysia)
Langkawi,(Jawi:لانكاوي) officially known as Langkawi, the Jewel of Kedah (Malay: Langkawi Permata Kedah) is an archipelago of 104 islands in the Andaman Sea, some 30 km off the mainland coast of northwestern Malaysia. The islands are a part of the state of Kedah, which is adjacent to the Thai border. On July 15, 2008, Sultan Abdul Halim of Kedah had consented to the change of name to Langkawi Permata Kedah in conjunction with his Golden Jubilee Celebration. By far the largest of the islands is the eponymous Pulau Langkawi with a population of some 64,792, the only other inhabited island being nearby Pulau Tuba.

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