Santa Maria's salsa heaven!

Advantages: affordable value carribean
Disadvantages: you will need insect repellent!

...9 hours on a cramped Thomas cook charter flight was worth it after finally arriving at the Melia Cayo santa maria.From the airport(Santa Clara) to the hotel is an hour and a half by road across an amazing dual carriageway which joins Cuba to the island of Santa Maria.This is similar to the Florida keys road seen on many tourist photographs and meanders curling around like a snake with the sea feet away on both sides from your coach. The hotel itself has modern low rise (2 storey) blocks scattered throughout the complex all tastefully furnished and air conditioned (boy do you need that!),It has two glorious free form swimming pools with a swim up bar and plenty of places to eat.You have two reservations per week at the two a la carte restaraunts (the best by far is the mediteranean where the fillet mignon is superb!)and the 24 hour pool...

ROYALP 18.10.2007 · Read review
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Review of Melia, Cayo Santa María

Church of Santa Maria Dela Salute

Advantages: Away from the Tourist Hoards of St Marks.
Disadvantages: None

...Just returned from our annual anniversery trip to Venice and noticed that no-one has done a review on this church as yet. Just Jump on Vaperreto Number 2 outside St Marks. As you stand by the water at St Marks you can not but notice a large Church on the opposite side of the Canal which is the Church of Santa Maria Della Salute, I am afraid I did not take any photos this year as the main dome is covered in scaffolding, in fact there seemed to be more buildings this year that were being worked on. This is not a critism of Venice, by its nature restortaion work is a necessity. It was on 22 October 1630 that the Senate of Venice decided to build a Church to Honour the Madonna to mark the end of the Plague which had devestated Venice. So the first stone was laid on April 1st 1631, what a change from here where it seems to take...

poshtroika 16.03.2008 · Read review
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Review of Santa Maria della Salute, Venice

Santa's melted!

Advantages: smells gorgeous, a bit different, fun to use
Disadvantages: melts easily

...I first bought one of Lush's Strawberry Santa Shower Jellies last year. Out of all of the Christmas products, I think it was the one that immediately appealed to me. I love strawberry fragranced products, and I'm glad Lush have brought this out, as I've not been too keen on any of the Body Shop strawberry stuff, and a lot of the cheaper brands smell quite artificial. I know it's a little early to be talking about Christmas products, however I thought I'd write the review now, in case anyone is considering this for a present idea or just a treat for themselves! This was the first ever Lush shower jelly I used, and unfortunately it had leaked in the box, meaning I only had about half left, and the tub had become quite messy, so I wanted it used and out of the way! I did email Lush to tell them what happened and received both an apology...

pink_champagne 06.11.2009 · Read review
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Review of Lush Strawberry Santa

Cuba... Caribbean with a Difference.

Advantages: Tropical Paradise, Havana, All inclusive hotels.
Disadvantages: Scary Customs.

...Introduction = A few years ago my wife and I were walking from Rotterdam to Vienna. Unfortunately by the time we got to Cologne we received a call telling us we had been burgled back in the UK. Having to cut the trip short and being unwilling to resume the walk we decided to take a couple of weeks in the sun. Looking around for last minute deals we managed to find 10 days All Inclusive in Cuba for £449 a price I doubt you can get unless you are going very last minute (we left two days later). Visas and Vaccinations = There were no visas necessary for entry and because US customs take a dim view of people who go to Cuba they stamp an insert for your passport that can be discarded (or kept) afterwards. If you are taking this as part of a larger tour then you cannot fly to Cuba from the USA, but will need...

hero164 24.10.2007 · Read review
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Review of Varadero (Cuba)

Being Santa

Advantages: Entertaining for adults and children
Disadvantages: Silly...but what do you expect?

...Scott Calvin works for a toy firm while struggling with his ex-wife for custody of his son, Charlie. When Charlie comes to spend Christmas with him, Scott is reluctant to join in with the Christmas spirit. Then on Christmas Eve he accidentally kills Santa by knocking him off the roof, and, by wearing Santa's clothes, immediately enters into a contract to replace him. But after an evening of delivering presents with Charlie, Scott puts it all down to a dream...until the next year when he suddenly puts on weight and begins to resemble Santa Claus. Will he accept that he is now Santa Claus and the responsiblities that go along with it? Although this is very far from the type of film I would usually watch - I like horrors and thrillers - there is something about the run up to Christmas that makes me want to watch something frivolous...

sunmeilan 18.11.2008 · Read review
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Review of The Santa Clause (DVD)

S. Maria della Spina

Advantages: A really little jewel you can't miss...
Disadvantages: The most important part of it it's his exterior view

..., and was chosen by a lot of artists as a temporary residence, like Leopardi, Shelly and Byron. I think that you must take a tour around it, in every road, above all the little one, you can find little but beautiful buildings, you can see through the houses windows Renaissance wall paintings, or vaults? Well let's return to the main subject of this op. Santa Maria della Spina is one of the first things that catches your attention by walking along the Arno (on the Lurgarno). It is situated near the Ponte Solferino, it is one bridge from the city main roads (Borgo Stretto and Corso Italia) where there is Palazzo Gambacorti, the municipality. (Easily reachable by feet) It was edified in 1230 as an oratory to protect the "ponte novo", a bridge linking S. Antonio and S. Maria road and it was called S. Maria del pontenovo. It is the result...

katychan 05.01.2006 · Read review
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Review of Santa Maria della Spina, Pisa

Talkin' 'bout a Revolution

Advantages: Historic sights, cheaper than more touristy places, fewer hustlers
Disadvantages: Some facilities a little under-developed

...Cuba is littered with must-see sights relating to the revolution and the immediate euphoria which surrounded the end of the American-influenced Batista regime. In Havana there is the impressive Museo de la Revolucion housed in the former presidential palace along with the world-famous sculpture of Che Guevara at the Plaza de la Revolucion and at the Bay of Pigs there are small monuments on the roadside at each spot where one of Castro's men died. On our visit to Cuba, we did not feel the impact of the revolution anywhere as strongly as we did in Santa Clara. Here you'll find loads of murals dedicated to Che Guevara, the Argentinian-born hero of the revolution who was made Minister for Finance and put in charge of educating Cubans about Marxism after the overthrow of the Batista government; at bus stations, on the side of petrol stations...

fizzytom 18.05.2005 · Read review
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Review of Santa Clara, Cuba

Santa-stic!

Advantages: Very funny, great cast, a Christmas film for adults!
Disadvantages: Not that Christmassy, rather crude in parts!

...I absolutely adore Christmas films, and my favourite ones are actually aimed at Children; The Santa Clause, Elf and Home Alone. I find the cuteness is perfect at this time of year, and there is nothing better than sitting in the dark on a winter's evening than watching one of those films. But the other evening, Channel 5 were showing a preview of an adult Christmas film, one I hadn't seen before called 'Bad Santa', and I was quite intrigued to see just how Christmassy this was going to be. So my other half and I settled down to watch, not quite expecting the brilliant film that was shown! Willie and Marcus have an unusual business going on. Every year, they get a job as Santa Claus and his elf in big department stores across the country. Then on Christmas Eve, they rob the place of all the money and anything they want, then flee town...

mummy2harry 27.12.2008 · Read review
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Review of Bad Santa (DVD)

Well-earned stars

Advantages: Near to town amenities
Disadvantages: Cobbled street outside

...I stayed here when it opened, so it was very quiet. If it gets included in the holiday brochures, I can't imagine it being too quiet for too often. Most tourist hotels are built near the Lido complex at the North side of Funchal. The Porto Santa Maria is at the opposite end of town, right at the border between the 'old' town and the rest of Funchal. It's only a short walk from the hotel to the cable car and the town centre shops (although this is over cobbles, so beware if you need a wheelchair or if you have difficulty walking), and there are plenty of restaurants around. The hotel itself is spotless, the rooms are well air-conditioned, with access to balconies or terraces - everything you would expect from a four-star hotel on this island. There are two swimming pools: the small-ish outside pool is not heated, although...

angehodgson 04.02.2009 · Read review
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Review of Porto Santa Maria Hotel, Funchal

  Form an orderly Cu-ba!

Advantages: Varied destinations, great people
Disadvantages: Can be hard work at times

...service and the high risk of being robbed but what is Cuba really like? Having safely returned, I can now debunk some of the myths surrounding this beautiful jewel of the Caribbean and shed some light on the enigma that is Cuba. In the 1940s and 1950s Cuba - and in particular Havana - was a mecca for American tourists. In fact the first time Cuba stuck in my mind was when Marlon Brando whisked Salvation Army babe Jean Simmons for a night of cocktails and cha cha cha at the Tropicana in "Guys and Dolls". Of course the revolution changed all that. After several years of hiding out in the Sierra Maestra and Sierra del Escambray regions of the country Fidel Castro and his guerillas finally took the city of Santa Clara late in 1958. Days later President Batista, little more than an American-operated puppet, fled the country leave Castro...

fizzytom 07.12.2004 · Read review
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Review of General: Cuba