The White Coast

Advantages: nice coast with lovely countryside
Disadvantages: Urbanizaciones taking over, month of August to avoid

...The Costa Blanca stretches from Valencia down Spain´s southeastern coast to Cartagena, offering different landscapes from flat marshes to rugged coastlines. There is only one larger city, Alicante, where charter flights from Britain, Scandinavia and Central Europe spill their mostly sun-seeking clientele. My wife has always been one of these constantly freezing snowbirds who fears the continental Austrian winters, she doesn´t indulge in winter sports at all and would love to spend her life in a zone where temperatures never fall below 22°C... This is just to explain why one freezing December morning she came up with a realty ad from our paper that offered an appartement near Torrevieja on the Playa Flamenca (which has nothing to do with the Spanish national dance, it refers to a bunch of Flamish Belgians who were the first to...

herbb 29.04.2002 (12.03.2007) · Read review
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Review of Costa Blanca (Spain)

Well I had fun..

Advantages: cheap cheerful and gorgeous beaches
Disadvantages: drug cartels, kidnapping - the usual

...People immediately think the worst of Columbia and I guess a for good reason. Mu mum went grey whilst I was awayjust from worry but I was absolutely fine. I did the typical uni thing and went travelling with my then boyfriend to meet up with his sister who was travelling all of South America and Columbia and Venezuela were the last two. We first travelled to Venezuela and then made our way over to Columbia, my first impression was it is so cold. Bogata is on a mountain, needless to say we were all sun people and moved on up the country. The aim was a national park near Cartegena, Cartagena is lovely. A old town and new combined, a mix of tourism and locals - but it works well. Travellers are well looked after, with the hostels and little cheap hotels. The national park was beautiful, sandy beaches, people sleeping in hammocks...

sparkle99 18.02.2003 · Read review
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Review of General: Colombia

a clean look in the eyes of Andoni Erburu

Advantages: a masterpiece
Disadvantages: it is difficult to find films like this

...(Charo López), best newcomer actor (Andoni Erburu), sound (Gilles Ortion, Alfonso Pino y Bella María Da Costa) and artistic direction; NOMINATED for the best film, best director, best actress in a suportting role (Vicky Peña), original screenplay and film editing. 1997 Nominated for the Golden Berlin Bear in the Berlin International Film festival- Montxo Armendáriz. 1998 Golden India Catalina- Cartagena Film Festival Best Cinematography- Javier Aguirresarobe 1998 Golden India Catalina -Cartagena Film Festival-Best Director- Montxo Armendáriz 1998 Golden India Catalina-Cartagena Film Festival- Best Supporting Actress- Charo López 1998 Nominated Golden India Catalina Cartagena Film Festival- Best Film ------------------- WHERE TO FIND IT ------------------ I wish I have aroused your curiosity about this film. You can find it...

chemuyil 19.05.2006 (24.06.2006) · Read review
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Review of Secrets Of The Heart (Subtitled) (DVD)

La Manga, Mar Menor

Advantages: Ideal for sailing or golf enthusiasts
Disadvantages: Journey can be tiresome

...of the apartment and a daily stroll along there for fresh veg etc started the day off well, followed by a more leisurely stroll along the seafront. Thankfully we hired a car and were able to visit some places of interest - Cartagena and Alicante are within easy travelling distance of La Manga, so we were able to take in some of the cultural sights. We also drove along La Manga towards Murcia and stopped off along the way, either to pop into the supermarket to stock up on fresh fish and fruit and veg, or for a walk along the beach. There were a lot of Brits living there, all of them only too happy to discuss the advantages of moving abroad! DISADVANTAGES/RECOMMENDATIONS I would recommend this place as an ideal location for a winter break, if you are not too bothered about nightlife. If it is peace and quiet you want, then this is ideal...

inejenn 16.09.2006 · Read review
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Review of La Manga del Mar Menor (Murcia, Spain)

25 years of holidaying and still going strong!

Advantages: Amazing decor, brilliant facilities......pure luxury
Disadvantages: An expensive destination

...Football Centre (used by the English team), a luxury Spa and Fitness Centre, numerous swimming pools and elegant residential developments, as well as the Hyatt Regency La Manga hotel, holiday apartments, villas and a vast array of restaurants, bars, shops and services, all tastefully laid out amid palms, pine trees, lemon groves and oleander-lined streets. All this luxury makes this resort an expensive choice for a holiday. Resort Location...... In the Murcia region of Spain (South of the Costa Blanca) the resort is situated 20 minutes from Murcia airport and an hour from Alicante airport. La Manga Club is built on the edge of a hilltop peninsula which has the Meditteranean on one side and the Mar Menor, europe's largest lagoon, on the other. Distance from Major Cities: Cartagena - 25 km / 16 miles Murcia - 75 km / 47 miles...

busylizzie76 21.07.2006 · Read review
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Review of Hyatt Las Lomas Village & Spa, Los Belones

Never Fart Around With Prehistoric Animals

Advantages: Wonderful, delightful mixture of over-the-top stunts, high adventure, big laughs, edge-of-your-seat suspense and sexy romance
Disadvantages: I cannot imagine anyone disliking this film!

...about to snap at Joan, or when they both find themselves going down a jungle mudslide in the heavy rain. Then there is of course the rip-roaring sequence in which they attempt to find someone with a car to get to Cartagena, and they end up with a hilarious bellmaker with a truck that he nicknames "Pepe." Kathleen Turner---fresh off her kinky debut in 1981's BODY HEAT---is especially likable (and believable) as Joan Wilder, who cannot believe she becomes like one of the heroines in her own novels. Thankfully, she doesn't fall in to the cliché of the "damsel-in-distress" but rather becomes stronger and tougher as the film goes along; all in all, she is really the glue that holds everything together, while Michael Douglas has some fun as Jack T. Colton, who has a steady supply of funny one-liners and ready to take on anything and anyone...

eve6kicksass 14.01.2006 · Read review
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Review of Romancing The Stone (DVD)

Thomson Destiny Cruise Ship

Advantages: Great Value Fabulous service
Disadvantages: expensive excursions, ship a little aged

...recommend if it is your first visit to Rome to take the tour. On both our visits we have heard of a couple being surrounded by gypsies on the train and robbed of cash, cameras and passports. Then they spent the whole day in police station reporting the crime. The walking tour is excellent but it does a lot of walking and you have to be fit. We dropped anchor at Villefranche and instead of taking the tour to Monaco we took local train for bout £3 each and did our own thing. We went into the famous Monte Carlo Casino. 10 euro each to enter and WOW it's a different world in there. The roullette tables are huge and there were 500 euro notes being bandied about the table like conffeti. When we cruised our ports of call were (in no particular order): Gibraltar; Lisbon; Cadiz; Tangiers; Cartagena; Chivichavechia (Rome); Livorno (Pisa...

ged1967 27.05.2007 · Read review
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Review of Thomson Travel - Mediterranean Cruise

Annual review: 2005

Advantages: I've had to grow up, I've had more work experience
Disadvantages: Being skint!

..., and the other was a baby I never got to meet, they were both special in my heart. 5. What countries did you visit? Well other than going to Manchester, Nottingham and Glasgow for gigs as well as visiting my boyfriend before I moved, and my family, back home in Edinburgh since, 2005 saw my return to Spain. It was rather chilly at night as it was November. We were staying in the Murcia region and we traveled around the area by car visiting; Mazarron, Murcia, Cartagena, La Manga and Benidorm. We were staying in a place near Mazarron called Campo Sol, which is an area basically built up with villas for holiday makers (Spanish as well as English and other nationalities). 6. What would you like to have in 2006 that you lacked in 2005? A secure job would be nice. Once I've got a steady income, we can look at moving out into our own...

mental_infestation 10.01.2006 · Read review
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Review of Everything from 0-9

  Our Wrinklepickers Gimlet Eye

Advantages: No ironing fairy required, nice size range and styling.
Disadvantages: Overpriced gadgets, ridiculous blurb, no website.

..., they're impeding your progress - they'll stretch with you whether you're reaching into the overhead compartment or dashing to catch the monorail to Hamamatsucho Station." And this on their (honestly really nice, I've got the top and skirt myself) reversible cotton jersey vest top, tunic, cardigan and hippy chick skirt thing range: "Touring the Old City of Cartagena incognito? Wear the Lead [dark grey] side out. If you're in the mood for a little more prominence, call the vibrant Light Azure [pale blue] side into service." And one more because I'm so naughty; this is what they have to say about their crinkly range of more vests and hippy-style skirts in a patented fabric which apparently stops sweaty patches and dampness: "They're made of CoolMax® Alta, the newest and softest fabric in the CoolMax® family with all the moisture...

jillmurphy 31.01.2003 (25.02.2003) · Read review
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Review of Travelsmith (shop)

  Torre-Bloomin-Hecka

Advantages: The climate; extremely cheap even with the change from the peseta to the euro; and the fact that it's a residential area so no high-rises!
Disadvantages: Extremely busy in the summer months now that it's becoming a more popular destination to live and to visit, graffiti

...hrs 20mins from a UK airport, to Alicante Airport. The airport was recently refurbished and now has beautiful marble floors and walls and it boasts a number of good shops, bars and restaurants prior to your return journey, including Burger King, which on our last return home from there, we ended up eating at 7:15am!! But hey, what?s a holiday if you can?t do that!! From the Airport is it very easy to get to Torrevieja, having to travel along one main road only. The N332 is the main road running past the airport and out to the historical area of Cartagena (and the famous golfing resort of La Manga), which is well worth a visit should you have the time. The road has also been re-routed slightly over the past year or so which has shortened the journey even further, we got from airport to resort in less than 30 minutes. Benidorm is about...

bestmum 25.10.2002 · Read review
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Review of Alicante (Spain)