Good value self catering holiday

Advantages: Exceptionally clean; good pool for younger children; handy location for GOING to the beach
Disadvantages: Uphill COMING BACK from the beach; balconies could be a safety issue for little ones

...Tuesday 8th August 2006 Dear Diary: "Well just stepped off the plane............and have the tan to prove it!" My hubby, six year old son and me have just returned from a week in Benidorm staying at the Levante Lux Apartments. Son had such a great time he's passed out on the sofa as we speak (or should that be as I type??) Anyway to the important stuff........... We arrived at the apartments at 9.30pm on a Tuesday night and were met by a friendly receptionist who checked us in and lightened our wallet by 60? (about £40) for a breakage deposit. Luckily we knew this was coming as it was advertised in the holiday brochure and we were also advised by our Rep when we got on the coach from the airport. At the end of the stay the housekeeper pops into the room to check everything and all being intact you get the deposit returned...

dreamgenie 08.08.2006 · Read review
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Review of Levante Lux Apartments, Benidorm

Camping Liguria

Advantages: day trips, sailing
Disadvantages: none

...(1 hour drive), a Manganese mine in the hills (45 mins drive) and the Cinque Terre (we did this by boat from Sestri Levante, however someone camping close by managed all her excursions by train, for a fraction of the cost). If you go check out MiraLira in Sestri Levante, order a glass of wine or a beer and you get a fantastic plate of snacks. If you have never been to Italy camping, it is not the same as France and Switzerland. You will not be surrounded by grass and places to play on bikes etc; in exchange for the grass, it doesn't rain!!...

Familytrip 12.09.2008 · Read review
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Review of Camping Tigullio, Sestri Levante

wormwood... mmm absynthe

Advantages: digestive tonic
Disadvantages: DO NOT USE IF PREGNANT

......

stezatois1 30.07.2007 · Read review
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Review of Levant Wormwood

Jaded Cocoon

Advantages: Presentation, design, merge monsters, voice acting, 2-player mode
Disadvantages: Battles a bit short of depth, no real puzzles, lacking in exploration

...Please note that my review and rating does not take into account the multiplayer aspect of this game. Despite the conflict between the people of Parel and the monsters known as Minions residing in the forest, the village of Syrus would eventually become one to coexist with it's surroundings. However, when many villagers were put into a deep sleep by a sudden attack from the Locusts of Apocalypse, it would be up to Levant, the new Cocoon master, to save them. Jade Cocoon is a joint effort between developers Genki and Katsuya Kondo - whom is known for his work on on a number of Studio Ghibli animations. The game goes some way to capturing the feel of one, in particular I felt the story had shades of 'Nausicaa Valley of the Wind' with a dash of 'Princess Mononoke'. There are a handful of anime sequences here which, although they look...

scream4bruce 06.03.2007 · Read review
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Review of Jade Cocoon (PlayStation)

From the Holy Mountain - An Engrossing Middle East Travelogue

Advantages: An entertaining, engaging and thought-provoking travelogue.
Disadvantages: None to speak of.

...of Mount Athos, a place ?dedicated to prayer, chastity, and pure untarnished Orthodoxy? which is still off-limits to women. An example of the rigid thinking of his hosts is given fairly early in the narrative, when the author is asked whether he is Orthodox or heretic ? the implication being that even other Christian denominations are frowned upon. In any event, the descriptive, witty and sometimes irreverent narrative takes the reader on a journey passing through Istanbul, Ankara and Eastern Turkey, before heading south through the Levant ? taking in Syria, the Lebanon, Israel (including the West Bank) and eventually Cairo, finally following the Nile down to the end of the journey at the Great Kharga. The book is set out like a journal, with dated entries accounting for each leg of the journey. As his travels conscientiously follow...

Hishyeness 08.06.2009 · Read review
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Review of From the Holy Mountain - William Dalrymple

every parents nightmare on a long journey

Advantages: comedy and a fine story
Disadvantages: none

...Director: Brian Levant Producers: Matt Alvarez, Dan Kolsrud and Ice Cube Writers: Steven Gary Banks, Claudia Graiola. Stars: Ice Cube, Nia Long, Tracy Morgan, Aleisha Allen, Philip Daniel Bolden and Jay Mohr. Released in early 2005 this hour and half movie follows the exploits of a man who volunteers to drive his girl friends two kids across country? **BRIEF PLOT** When Suzanne Kingston, (played by Nia Long) is forced to take a business trip to Vancouver she soon realises that she is missing her kids and wants them to travel up to be with her? Unfortunately for Nick Persons, (played by Ice Cube), who has a bit of a crush on Suzanne, he offers to take the two children, 11 year old Lindsey, (played by Aleisha Allen) and 7 year old Kevin, (played by Philip Daniel Bolden) to be with their mother? sometimes listening to...

blissman70 07.09.2008 · Read review
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Review of Are We There Yet? (DVD)

Poor man's pokemon

Advantages: Some interesting ideas, and monster breeding
Disadvantages: Poor graphics, dodgy sound, strictly linear

...The game begins as our hero Levant comes of age, marries his childhod friend and Nagi woman, Mabu, and takes up his father's role as the village monster tamer. His father vanished in the forest when he was a child, leaving his wife to raise their son. All monster tamer's wives come from the Nagi tribe, which have the ability to purify monsters, allowing tamers to use them for battle and create silk from them. Unfortunately the villagers believe this means they are cursed. Apart from the basic idea of monster taming, the game's rather linear plot revolves around an ancient tribe, a curse and a divine war between light and darkness. There are no secrets, hidden areas or multiple endings, and your actions cannot change the path of the story. Unfortunately by about halfway through there are no likeable characters left in the game. Also...

tirial 29.03.2005 · Read review
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Review of Jade Cocoon (PlayStation)

An understated MGM classic

Advantages: Great songs, great dancing, great acting
Disadvantages: Oscar Levant's dancing!

...The Band Wagon (1953) is a great musical of the golden era of MGM musicals produced by Arthur Freed. Everyone has head of Singin' in the Rain, but The Band Wagon is less well known, despite being of the same era, and arguably as good a film. Directed by Vincente Minnelli, this film is up there with his other great films; Meet me in St Louis. Gigi and An American in Paris. The Storyline Fundamentally, this film is about putting on a show! Fred Astaire plays a washed up actor who agrees to be in a stage show written by his two friends (played by Nanette Fabray and Oscar Levant). To do this, he has to dance with ballet dancer Gabrielle Gerard (played by Cyd Charisse) who is taller than him and whom he doesn't get on well with at all. Jack Buchanan plays an overpowering director who diverts the story so that he can play...

chrissie-anne 26.03.2007 · Read review
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Review of The Band Wagon (Special Edition) (DVD)

Benidorm

Advantages: Usually fine weather
Disadvantages: Can be rather cold

...Benidorm is what you make it! As an acknowledged venue for excellent climate the town itself can be either a bore after the first few days or a delight to explore further. Like most people I headed for the entertainment venues on Levante Beach and was amazed at how different the area is between the daytime and the nightime. During the day the front is a hive of activity with people walking constantly up and down the beautiful promenade. The beach is very clean although you must get used to walking into the bars to use the loos. The food is exceptionally cheap and the Chinese restaurants are probably the best for service and quality of food. The night scene can be a little disappointing. I was working in the bars presenting my cabaret act so I can tell you there were many seedy bars that I preferred to keep away from. The classiest bar in...

rockrupert 06.12.2000 · Read review
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Review of Benidorm (Spain)

Benidorm - for the young and old

Advantages: Fantastic selection of pubs n bars with great entertainment every night, suitable for the kids aswell, great food and drink at great prices, very British resort
Disadvantages: There NEVER seems to be any loo roll in the pubs n bars - carry your own!

...I went my annual holiday to Benidorm in 1999 and for anyone thinking of going, I would highly recommend it. I have been to many places over the years, but Benidorm definately comes out tops for entertainment and value. Whats even better is it will truly appeal to all ages, singles, couples, families etc. Benidorm, as you probably know, is divided into two parts - Levante (new town) and Poinente (old town). Now, the new town is absolutely jumping and loaded with bars and pud pubs, with almost every one offering a full bill of entertainment each night, eg comedian followed by strip shows (for the ladies and men!), magic shows etc etc etc, the list of entertainment is endless. There are also scores of disco pubs which the younger holiday maker can go, which offer the same amount of entertainment. On top of this, the food...

jglennie 27.09.2000 · Read review
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Review of Benidorm (Spain)