National is also good!

Not as much vacation time as you wanted huh?! I know the feeling… And that’s why today I’m going to provide some insights of an escape which could work perfectly for the weekend.

            Newport in Rhode Island (RI), considered the “New England summer resort”, is also a good place to spend the weekend in cooler seasons of the year. In fact, during this time of the year (not summer) the hotels are much cheaper and you could find a good quality hotel room for something around $50-60.00 a night, especially if you can bid on the prices. Since the town is not that crowded at this time, hotels manage to have capacity at an acceptable level. There are also many entertainment options and leisure activities to be explored in the city.

            For the hotel, I could suggest Hyatt Regency Newport where it was possible to get a room for as low as $40.00 per night. But again, bidding was the price strategy. The hotel has an amazing waterfront view on both sides (picture below) and the rooms are very cozy. Staff people are also courteous. 

From the hotel you can also see the Newport Bridge which is just beautiful during the night; simply worthy of a postcard (picture on the side). 

Very close to the hotel is downtown Newport, where most of the good stuff to do is located! The town has a graceful street packed with well known brand stores but also some small stores selling local souvenir items. The small restaurants also give a touch of ‘home’ places to eat and everyone outside seems to be happy there.

               Nearby there is the Cliff Walk which is one of the ‘must do’ things when coming to Newport. Located on the eastern shore of the city, the Cliff Walk allows visitors to watch the bay, providing an amazing view, see some of Newport Mansions, and enjoy public nature space. It could take you as long as 2.5 hours to go through the entire walk.

 The Mansions are also one of the top attractions in Newport. People come from all over the place to see these huge houses where the elites used to spend their summers and which were built many years ago. Some are even 100 years back dated. The history and architecture of these houses is incredible, and there are actually tours for people who want to visit and go in. Ticket prices range from between $10-30.00 for adults and depend on the properties visited.

When coming back to the downtown area there is this game place which is perfect to end the day!! Ryan Family Amusements is the get together point for anyone in Newport willing to have a good time. Buying as low as a $10 card, you can have fun with your friends. The place is full with games such as pinball, basketball, air hockey, dance revolution, slot machines, etc, and after winning tickets with the points made, you can trade these for prizes inside the store.

 See?! No need to complain anymore about short vacations or unknown holiday places to go. Newport has everything from calm, to open space, fun and antique. So just pick which you prefer and enjoy!!

 

Quality time in Boavista Island

Boavista Island in Cape Verde, also known as the ‘Island of Dunes and Beaches’, is one of major touristic places in Cape Verde, especially if you are looking for a place to relax and be away from crowded cities. The Island is full of excellent resorts and hotels, making it a holiday destination for many tourists, from inside and outside the country.

 

 

Although Boavista is commonly identified with white sandy beaches, it is important to note that the Island has a harsh and dry weather, is similar to a desert (picture below) and still lacks certain types of infrastructure such as good roads and communication supplies. This contributed for the immigration of most of the Islands’ native people and that’s why Boavista is so calm; the population rounds at approximately 6,233 people (as of 2010). Nevertheless, the Government has been taking action to improve the Islands’ conditions and continue to make it one of the most sought travel destinations. 

 

 In terms of accommodations, there is a huge range of prices, going from inexpensive local hotels, to the beach apartments run by Italians and full-service hotels such as “Riu Karamboa”. Apartments can be rent with the options of breakfast included or self-catering, depending of the guest’s desire. Hotels and resorts also offer breakfast included packages as usual or there is the all inclusive, which has turned almost into a standard within the big resorts in Boavista.

Depending on the time of the year, for example in the summer, prices can go up, but even though is it worth it. The best option is to do the reservations directly with the hotel and not through travel agencies; that will avoid the agency fee. This was what I did when going to Clubhotel Riu Karamboa and I got a much cheaper price for the all inclusive alternative. 

The hotel is amazing! It actually looks like a mini Arabia in Cape Verde (picture below). The rooms are cozy; the staff is very friendly and efficient; there is a variety of cuisines (Capeverdian, Japa/Chinese and African) and food; there are also a lot of entertainment options, ranging from day group activities such as aquatic gymnastic, lotto games and volleyball and tennis matches, and night life with local entertainment shows, karaoke and a disco club.

 Because of the weather, guests usually spend most of their time in the pool and the good thing is that the hotel has a big pool, with an in-water bar and plenty of sun beds. The hotel also has an exit which leads directly to a beach, which is also where a lot of the guests decide to stay during the day.

Other activities include scuba diving, motorcycle rides in the dunes and even camel rides (picture below). Nonetheless, these activities were kind of expensive. I noticed that some of the hotel stores had items super priced as well, thus, guests should choose to buy those products outside the hotel or in one of the other islands. In fact, in Boavista, prices are higher than in some of the other islands precisely because of the ‘tourism label’. 

                 

 

Anyway, outside hotels there are many beautiful places to visit and exciting things to do in Boavista: Santa Monica beach, the Jewish Cemetery, turtle watching, Viana desert, whale watching, etc. People should only be careful about the transportation options since public transport is cheap but not fixed timed, cabs are extremely expensive compared to the national average rate and on foot it’s not possible to reach all places, hence car rents are a good choice, particularly if you’re planning to spend more than 3 days in the Island. Overall, Boavista is one of the most attractive Capeverdian islands and considered by many a paradisal place to spend vacations. So you should definitely give it a shot!!

 For more info, check this link http://www.boavistaexperience.com/