Traditional Restaurants in Lisbon

At some point, you choose to travel for the reason that you want to plunge yourself at different cuisines. Well, if you try to get into Lisbon, this could also be one of your purposes. Well, there are traditional restaurants in such place that you could get into. The only thing is that, from your arrival, would you step forward to these restaurants first? Actually, no, you need to find apartments Lisbon. Whenever you find one, book for your stay and start your way looking for traditional restaurants in Lisbon.

To make it easier for you to find these traditional restaurants, here are some of the names and areas in Lisbon where they are actually located:

Adega Tia Matilde
This easting place opened up its doors being a tasca, which is a local small and traditional restaurant. Since 1920’s, it has battered down its food in order to keep up a demanding Portuguese palate satisfied and they had managed it very well. From all of the cod dishes as well as fish stew up to chicken rice, this traditional eating place simply guarantee the best and traditional flavors for decades now.

Alc antara Café
It is definitely not a simple task to transform the old and abandoned typography into a wonderful restaurant, most especially with transforming a certain restaurant into one of the best cities having avant-garde cuisine right from the start it inaugurated. Well, this café had simply maintained their quality for over 2 decades, explaining why it becomes a reference in Lisbon city. They actually converted a certain space with larger windows as well as huge surface into the modern and cozy place. After about two decades, Alc antara Café already established itself being a classic and traditional restaurant in Lisbon, wherein families, friends and travelers would surely come to eat. Apart from their comfortable milieu, it offers a wonderfully prepared cuisine that everybody will surely enjoy.

Aviz Restaurant
It has been in Chiado, in Amoreiras and in Estoril, to install itself into Hotel with similar name on Rua Duque de palmela nearby Marques de Pombal. All through the 7 decades of history, different celebrities have already visited the restaurant and tried out their original recipes as well as peaceful milieu, including Frank Sinatra, Amalia Rodrigiues, Ana Gardner as well as Maria Callas. Some of the restaurant staffs add more of charm and work on it for about forty years. It is simply a place reminding people about the other times, together with a cuisine adapted into a traditional palate.
Gambrinus

Any fish or seafood dish is obligatory in this traditional restaurant of Lisbon. It is founded July 4, 1936 or to simply have an appetizer in the mid afternoon. It is actually the Gambrinus balcony, wherein you could have the best croquetes in the place. To complete your dine, finish it down with mouth watering crepe Suzette, which is a delicious crepe made with the tangerine as well as bitter orange.

If you would like to fully enjoy traditional restaurants in Lisbon, getting those place mentioned above would be great.

Rome, the Italian capital thats lives between the past and future

Have you ever been to Rome? If you've never had the opportunity to visit this wonderful city then I suggest you add it to the list of the upcoming holiday destinations, because the Italian capital, often called the Eternal City for its very old history that in the past had reigned in nearly every corner of Europe, is certainly worth a visit.


Among these, certainly the Basilica of St. Peter is a "must see", the historic centre of the Catholic religion, whose artistic value and importance is comparable to its religious significance. In addition to visiting the interior of the Basilica, which is visited by thousands of visitors around the world, the square in front of the Vatican is worth spending time in just for the atmosphere and view of the spectacular colonnade which was designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini.

Photo Credit: archer10 (Dennis)

The St. Peter's Basilica was built between the sixteenth and seventeenth century, and is located in the Vatican city which is a separate state from Italy. Nearby there are also other places of great cultural interest such as the Vatican Museums, whose spearhead is perhaps formed from the Sistine Chapel, famous for its frescoes painted by the great Michelangelo. For those who intend to visit the Vatican Museums, opening hours are from Monday to Saturday from 9am to 4pm, and on the last Sunday of every month you can access free of charge between 9 am to 12:30 pm. In summer, due to the long amount of visitors it is advisable to arrive early.

Photo Credit: jaybergesen

Moving away from the Vatican City, there are truly countless places to visit in Rome, just think of all the Roman buildings, churches, museums and squares. Although it is not easy to give an order of priority to the various tourist attractions of the city, first time visitors should not fail to visit the "Flavian Amphitheatre", better known as the Colosseum, surely one of the symbols of the capital. In The Coliseum is right along Via dei Fori Imperiali, with its ruins located in testimony to the greatness of the ancient Roman Empire. To avoid the long lines during the summer, I recommend visiting the nearby Palatine Hill which is much less popular than the Colosseum. When you purchase a ticket to visit the Palatine Hill, the ticket is also valid for the Colosseum whereby you can skip the line and save more than 1 hour of waiting in line.

Photo Credit: bortescristian

Concerning accommodation options if you want to stay close to the Vatican there is the Mocenigo Vatican suites which is only 50 metres away, the Vatican City guest house which is only 5 mins from the Vatican Museums and finally for a touch of class at very competitive prices the Excel St Peter is a 3 star luxury hotel very close to the Vatican.


If you want to enjoy the beautiful sights of Rome, but are visiting Rome with say an hire car then you could consider booking your accommodation in a more decentralized area of the city like the EUR district, among the various offers is the Hotel American Palace EUR in Via Laurentina, the Hotel Eur suite 4 star hotel in Via G.Prezzolini, the Hotel Dei Congressi in Viale Shakespeare, the Hotel All Time Relais & sport in Via Domenico Jachino and finally the Attico dei Pini in Via Novacella.

Staying in this area of Rome you will still have the opportunity to visit the main attractions of the capital, but at the same time experience this particular neighborhood, whose original design dates back to the 30s of the last century, although some buildings were added later, for example for the Olympic games in 1960.

Orlando, Florida

Happy February!
There are few places more popular for tourism than Orlando with 34 million visitors annually. The Disney Corporation has turned Orlando into a fantasy destination for kids of all ages but what else does the area have to offer? Situated in the very heart of Florida and within driving distance to both coasts you could spend a week in Orlando without ever being tempted by cartoon mice and that's exactly what I did in December of 2007.

Orlando - the QT
Orlando, like much of Florida, has a very short history. Inhabited by Seminole Indians the area only really began to develop in the 1960's with the space programme at Cape Canaveral. Shortly after Disney began buying up huge areas of land in the Orlando area and in 1971 the doors of Disney World sprung open and the building of rival theme parks, various themed dinners and wacky attractions has gone on unabated ever since. The area does not boast any interesting scenary and is very flat and uninspiring but no visitors are in Orlando to take in the natural sights. The greater Orlando area is totally dedicated to the entertainment industry, interspersed with malls, you won't be short of something to do. If you do feel overwhelmed by the glitz and show, trip out to Daytona and the Space Coast for Florida reality.

People visit Orlando for the big parks, Walt Disney World, Sea World and Universal Studio's so we will cover them in some detail. However there are some other great excursions and arguable better theme parks to visit during your trip. Orlando is exceptionally temperate all year round and you can expect 20°c in winter and 35°c in summer. We recommend Autumn and Winter as the best times to visit Orlando.

Who flies to Orlando?
Orlando has two International Airports, and as the world's favourite holiday destination, getting to Orlando should not be a problem regardless of where you live. Direct flights from Newcastle, Manchester, Gatwick, Birmingham, Cardiff and Dublin make access to Orlando very easy from the UK.

• British Airways fly from London Gatwick, Newcastle


• Virgin Atlantic fly from London Gatwick, Manchester


• First Choice fly from Newcastle, Gatwick, Manchester and Glasgow.

What hotel deals can you offer me?
The are many Orlando hotel deals including villa options and with so many choices you have some excellent prices to take advantage of. Below prices are based on one week in April in a double room.

• Budget hotel - Hotel Orlando Continental Plaza
• Midrange hotel - La Quinta Inn Orlando
• 5 star hotel Hotel Hilton Orlando
• 5 star hotel Hotel Marriott world center Orlando  - in DisneyWorld resort

Click to see all ORLANDO HOTELS

What can I see and do in Orlando?

Disney World of Tampa, Clearwater and St Petersburg has a wealth of attractions spread out over a very large area. Whilst transport isn't poor, we highly recommend you rent a car. Tampa itself is the financial, business and cultural centre of the area. The city is home to several museums, including the excellent Tampa Bay history centre, the Children's museum and theTampa Museum of Art. If you prefer exploring a city by foot, the areas of Ybor and Hyde Park are the most interesting for a stroll.


Clearwater is a laid back small city of around 100,000 inhabitants and is most famous for its beautiful sandy beaches and being the seat of new religion, Scientology. Clearwater is home to some interesting events throughout the year including the Ford Ironman competition, Hispanic Heritage festival and the Imagine International Film Festival.


St Petersburg, the sunshine city, is the most popular holiday destination of the 3 cities making up this metropolitan area. St Petersburg also has some great beaches and a fantastic harbor where million dollar yachts are lined up in all their glory. The city has a great Baywalk area with shops, cinemas and a small aquarium. However, it is the beaches of St Petersburg that are its true attraction with Fort Desoto beach ranked as the number 1 beach in America by Dr Beach in 2005.


Universal Studios - Florida is obsessed with sports and the good folk of Tampa Bay are no exception. The pride of the area is the Super Bowl 2002 winning Tampa Bay Buccaneers, owned by Manchester United supremo Malcolm Glazier. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers play at the Raymond James stadium in Tampa.

If you prefer your Baseball you can catch the Tampa Bay Devil Rays who play their major league baseball at Tropicana Field in St Petes.

Tampa even has a major league Ice Hockey team in Tampa Bay Lightening, however, they are currently bottom of the Eastern conference. The Lightening play at St Pete's Forum.

Sea World Centre of the Tampa Bay area are varied and of a very high quality. The museums we would most highly recommend to you would be the Ybor City Museum, Tampa Bay Historical Centre, Museum of Science and Industry, Tampa Museum of Art, The Childrens Museum in St Petersburg, Museum of Fine Arts (St Petes), The Holocaust Museum (St Peters) and the Salvador Dali Museum (St Petes).
We visited the all these museums but the Tampa Bay Historical Centre really gives you the best overall view of Tampa and how the area grew up. The best "museum" is centro Ybor itself. The area is a treat with many bric a brac shops, great restaurants and funky nightlife. Spend an entire day and night in Ybor to get a true feel for the area.

Attractions - As good as they are, nobody goes to the Tampa Bay area for its museums. People coming to the area are looking, for sea, sand and nightlife and this is what Tampa does best. With a student population keeping the town young and funky, the city has loads of gay and straight bars and nightclubs.


Tampa Bays main attractions are the beaches. Fort De Soto is heralded as the best in the area and it's very hard to argue. However, for nightlife, St Petes and Clearwater beaches are where it is at with plenty of bars and nightclubs to keep you going into the wee hours. The best nightlife in a 100 mile radius is Ybor City, check out Club Prana, Empire & Climax and Orpheum.
Tampa's #1 event is the annual Gasparilla Pirate Festival (on this weekend, late january each year) celebrates the apocryphal legend of José Gaspar (Gasparilla), supposedly a Spanish pirate captain who operated in southwest Florida.

The theme is an "invasion" by Gasparilla and his men, which begins when the "Krewe" (made up of residents of the city) arrives on a 165' long pirate ship, the Jose Gasparilla, in Tampa Bay and land near downtown Tampa. The mayor of Tampa then lends the key of the city to the pirate captain and a parade ensues down Bayshore Boulevard, one of Tampa's major streets. The krewes throw beads, coins and other items while shooting blank pistols from floats during the parade. The average attendance for the event is over 400,000 people.

Can we write about Florida without mentioning Theme Parks? We nearly did it. That would be a huge disservice though to the fabulous Busch Gardens. Busch Gardens is a grown up and FUN Disney, real rides, less queueing and less expense. If you don't enjoy heart stopping white knuckle rides then Busch Gardens also has excellent and educational Safari trips and great 3D shows. Tickets for Busch Gardens are $64,95 for adults and $54.95 for children under 10, however, look out for discounts and coupons that can be found everywhere from Walmart to your hotel.

Where can I eat in Tampa Bay? There is a very strong Caribbean/Mexican influence in Tampa and so the traditional regional cuisine could be considered to have a certain hispanic flair. Floridians like to eat, and they like to eat cheaply. You will be fed very well for surprisingly little in the Tampa Bay area.
Here are some recommendations (£ - Inexpensive - under £10 for a main course - ££ - Reasonable £10-£15 for a main course - £££ - Pricey £15-£24 for a main course- ££££ - Expensive £25-£35 for a main course - £££££ - Daylight Robbery - £35+ for a main course)

• Berns - The areas best restaurant for wine freaks, huge cellars. Steak House - £££


• Columbia - Spanish/Cuban flamenco dancing but exceptional quality - £££


• Dockside Daves - Excellent fish restaurant in St Petersburg - £


• Frenchy's Cafe - Excellent Surf and Turf in Clearwater- £


• Bernini - Outstanding Italian restaurant in Centro Ybor- ££

You can easily spend a full week in the Tampa area and not be tempted over to the Disney Corporation! Consider Tampa for your own "spring break".

Ciao for now HotelClickers!

Frankfurt Travel Guide

Frankfurt Travel Guide

Frankfurt Travel Guide for HotelsClick customers travelling to Frankfurt in Summer 2008. This is no easy task. A city of 6 million people known mostly for its business travel Frankfurt actually offers plenty to the leisure tourist. Located in West Central Germany, Frankfurt is one of Germany's most important cities, in fact, one of Europe's business hubs and has a unique and varied scene. There is something for everyone in Frankfurt, young or old, male or female, straight or gay, you are going to find something to tickle your fancy in Frankfurt.

Frankfurt - The QT

Parks, a central river, skyscrapers, wonderful museums and an eclectic and award winning culinary scene, Frankfurt could remind you of a couple of other world famous cities out there. So what makes Frankfurt worth a visit? It is actually surprisingly cheap, New York hotels are insanely priced and if you're a European, like me, the air fare and hotel combined is enough to put you off. In Frankfurt we have also what New York can not create, for Frankfurt is also European at heart and the fabulous Germanic cultural alleyways and boulevards, together with the beer (never forget the beer) come together to create one of Europe's hidden travel gems.

Back to price, would you believe it possible to stay 3 nights over a weekend in a 5 star Intercontinental hotel in the middle of the city for £170 including breakfast? I'm not kidding! 2 People inclusive, 3 Nights inclusive, Breakfast inclusive! Maybe in Riga right. but Frankfurt? Check it out below.

Who Flies to Frankfurt?

Depending on your carrier you'll fly into Frankfurt into the International Airport (Europe's second largest) or the low cost carrier airport Frankfurt Hahn. The low cost option is Bargainous with Ryanair coming in from the London airports. Everyone flies into Frankfurt, finding a flight will not be difficult.

RyanAir - 30 destinations including, Barcelona, Birmingham, Dublin, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Kerry, London Stansted, Madrid, Manchester, Milan, Rome, Stockholm and Venice.

British Airways - Manchester, London, Birmingham

Iberia - Barcelona, Malaga, Madrid, Seville, Boston, Chiacgo, Los Angeles and New York.

AirFrance - Lyon and Paris

Lufthansa - Seriously everywhere, Amsterdam, Athens, Bangkok, Barcelona, Brussels, Dublin, London Heathrow and City, Milan, Moscow, Paris, Rome, Vienna, Zurich.

What Hotel Deals can you offer?

Over the British Bank Holiday weekend (Fri 22nd August - 3 Nights - 1 Double) hotelclicks com have the following hotel deals in Frankfurt. We have 100 hotels to choose from, but here are the best of the best.

3 Star Hotel - Continental Hotel Frankfurt - Opposite the Train Station

4 Star Hotel - Miramar Hotel in Frankfurt - Located in the heart of Old Town

5 Star Hotel - Intercontinental - Frankfurt - Opposite the Train Station

To see all our Frankfurt Hotels Click Here.

What is there to see and do in Frankfurt?

Frankfurt City Sights

Alte Opera - Inaugurated in 1880, the Renaissance-style Alte Oper was designed by Berlin architect Richard Lucae and stylistically influenced by Gottfried Semper, creator of the famous Semperoper in Dresden. After being destroyed in WWII, and then narrowly avoiding being razed and replaced with 1960s cubes, the Alte Oper was rebuilt and its façade reconstructed to resemble the original, graced with statues of Goethe and Mozart. The interior is modern.

Bornheim - Berger Strasse is the spinal cord of the district of Bornheim, the traditional working class part of town. These days, it prefers the label 'bohemian', an image it measures up to well with its mix of dusty bookstores, eccentric boutiques, health food shops and inexpensive cafes and restaurants. Towards the north, the feel gets more mainstream with chain stores and snack bars.

Explora - Immerse yourself and the kids in this family-oriented science and technology museum full of cool optical illusions and three-dimensional works. The photos of turn-of-the-century Frankfurt are a definite highlight.

Frankfurt Zoo - Germany's second-oldest zoo has been delighting fans since 1858. Today, you can encounter an international cast of furry, feathered and finned friends on a trip that might take you from the Amazonian jungle to Antarctica via the African Savannah and the Australian Outback. If you're lucky, the howls of wolves can be heard throughout the surrounding neighbourhood of Ostend. When doors close, the zoo's own beer garden opens to help you wind down.

Frankfurter Dom - Dominated by the elegant 15th-century Gothic-style tower (95m; completed in the 1860s), the Frankfurter Dom was one of the few structures to survive the 1944 bombing. The Dommuseum (tel: 1337 6816) has a valuable collection of reliquaries and liturgical objects; it conducts tours of the Dom at 15:00 daily.

On the cathedral's southern side is the small Wahlkapelle (Voting Chapel), where seven electors of the Holy Roman Empire chose the emperor from 1356 onwards. Adjoining it is a choir with beautiful wooden stalls.

Goethe-Haus & Museum - Anyone with an interest in German literature should visit the Goethe Haus, the birthplace of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe in 1749. Although furnishings are often reproductions, some original pieces remain on show. Highlights are Goethe's original writing desk and the library. Guided tours are conducted in German at 14:00 and 16:00 ; English tours can be arranged, but staff can also help you along.

'He is happiest, be he king or peasant, who finds peace in his home.' Goethe's parents' house is a wonderful example of how Frankfurt's well-to-do lived in the 18th century. It was Goethe's birthplace, and he lived here until moving to Weimar in 1775, an act that many Frankfurters found hard to forgive. It was here that Goethe penned his ode to suicide, The Sorrows of Young Werther , and began work on Faust . The rooms are nicely decorated with a mix of reproduction and original furniture, offering a glimpse of 18th-century domestic life.

The museum next door illustrates the various stations of his long life with paintings from the late Baroque to the Biedermeier periods. The gorgeous little garden is perfect for getting away from all that Sturm und Drang.

Jüdisches Museum - The city has two notable museums on Jewish life in Frankfurt, reminding visitors that the Jewish community here, with 35,000 people, was once one of the largest in Europe. The main Jüdisches Museum, in the former Rothschildpalais, is a huge place with an exhibit of Jewish life in the city from the Middle Ages to present day, with good detail on well-known Frankfurt Jews persecuted, murdered or exiled by the Nazis. Religious items are also displayed.

Main Tower - A good place to start seeing the sights of Frankfurt is from the Main Tower, Frankfurt's highest public viewing platform. At 200m tall, the tower offers spectacular views of the city. Nearby is Europe's tallest office block, the 258m-high (298m including the antenna) Commerzbank Tower. Main Tower has a restaurant and cocktail bar on the 53rd floor, one below the viewing terrace.

From the viewing terrace to the southeast you can see the Römerberg, a remake of the original city centre; beyond it, across the river, is Sachsenhausen, an entertainment area with lots of pubs, bars and restaurants. To the north and northwest is the banking district with its ever-changing vista of towers, including the 256m-high peak of the elegant Messeturm, which locals call the Bleistift (pencil).

Frankfurt Nightlife

Balalaika - Beer Hall come Jazz Bar in Sachsenhausen

Former New York resident, Balalaika's owner, Anita, was singing long before many of her customers were born, as one of the pace-setters in the jazz and blues scene in the swinging 60s. These days she sings a more mellow song in her tiny, candlelit pub that has the usual cheer of the local taverns but with a more intimate vibe.

Harveys - Upmarket Lounge in Nordend

This odd-shaped, high-ceilinged corner bar looks like Dame Edna's living room. Always on the ball, it will no doubt adjust the style dial to suit Frankfurt's fickle club clientele. It's the perfect setting for flouncing around, and boy, do they flounce. It's a long established location on the gay map but attracts a mixed crowd.

Living XXL - Top Nightclub on the riverbank in Bahnhofsviertel

If the euro goes into free fall, it'll land here - Frankfurt's large, bustling and highly popular club has three bars and a gallery dining room at the foot of the European Central Bank.

Sandbar - Cocktail Lounge in Ostend

If the other bars get too cramped or their glam starts wearing thin, dive into the Sandbar as a chic alternative. The minimalist interior and soft bar stools invite a long evening or a short repose between clubs.

Frankfurt Shopping

BognerGoethestr 21, Innenstadt

For sportswear that's almost too good to sweat in, Bogner is your brand, as many a stylish German jock will inform you. They also have a rather dapper range of women's and children's clothes with all sorts of accessories to complete the 'B' look.

Bornheimer Wochenmarkt - Am Uhrtürmchen, Bornheim

This farmer's market is a great place to stock up on fresh healthy rations for a hike in the woods, so good they do it twice a week! Met someone you need to impress? They have fresh flowers for next to nothing. As for cheese, don't buy it anywhere else. From an excellent range of markets, this fresh fruit and vegetable emporium is many people's favourite.

Galeria Kaufhof - Zeil 116 -126, Altstadt

You can find homewares, clothing, toys and electronics elsewhere in Frankfurt, but not under a roof as large as the one at Galeria Kaufhof. It also sells a great range of wines and spirits.

Saturn Hansa - Berger Str 125-129, Bornheim

This three-storey electrical good specialist stocks a heap of appliances, but on the top floor has the most comprehensive and one of the cheapest CD selections in Frankfurt. The jazz and blues corner and the classical music section are impressive and, best of all, there are plenty of play stations where you can pre-listen to any song.

Frankfurt Restaurants

Eckhaus - Bornheimer Landstrasse 45, Nordend

The smoke-stained walls, the iron fan above the door and those ancient floorboards all suggest an inelegant, long-toothed past. We love this place, others say the noise level snaps their nerves. The hallmark Rösti (shredded potato pancake), large servings of tasty salads and other main courses have been served in this restaurant-bar for over 100 years.

Grössenwahn - Lenaustrasse 97, Bornheim

The food in this upmarket pub-restaurant relies on pure flavours and the wine seduces your tongue into parts of your mouth you didn't know were there. The downside of this wonderful Frankfurt institution is that the air can be shocking at times, especially if someones tugging on a cigar or a pipe at the next table. Stylish modern German cuisine with plenty of international extras are the order of the day.

Metropol - Weckmarkt 13-15, Altstadt

In the long shadow of the Dom and with a lovely courtyard out the back where children can chill out away from the city heat, Metropol serves dishes from a changing menu that fluctuates between the inspired and the bistro staples. It's a great place for coffee or a drink too.

Tiger - Heiligkreuzgasse 16-20, Bornheim

Culinary guru Martin Göschel concocts delicious Italian and French-inspired cuisine in what many consider to be the best nosh address in town. Expect to pay for the kudos (menus over €100 ). It's part of the Tigerpalast cabaret venue.

We are recommending an August Bank Holiday break to Frankfurt to avoid the fairs and the crazy fair costs of the hotel rooms. That's all Folks.

Have a Tampa Tantrum

Greetings!
I can't think of another city with so much going on that is so often overlooked as a travel destination. Sure, Disney is down the road, and Miami a few hours further south but Tampa has it going on in spades. Situated on the gulf coast it has some of the best beaches in all of Florida, great sports teams and events, a chilled University town spirit, historic Ybor and Busch Gardens. Close to the cultural city of Sarasota, Tampa is a great base to spend some time exploring the beautiful west coast of Florida.

Tampa- the QT

The Tampa Bay area consists of the cities of Tampa, Clearwater and St Petersburg and has a population of almost 3,000,000 inhabitants. By Florida standards, Tampa is a great grandaddy of a city and makes the very most of its 200 year history. The area had been inhabited by Seminole Indians and their influence on the area is well documented in the city's museums. However, Tampa was nothing but a swamp pit with less than 800 inhabitants until 1883 when phosphate was discovered in Bone Valley. In the 100 years following the discovery Tampa became the third biggest city in the South East of the USA, behind only Atlanta and Miami.

Tampa is the proud home of the cigar in the USA and nowhere is this more obvious than Ybor city (where 500,000,000 cigars were rolled a year at the height of its prowess), a hispanic quarter of Tampa, where cigar shops, the cigar museum and the older men of the neighbourhood congregate im sure, just to make the place look atmospheric.

Tampa is a very temperate place all year around. We were in Tampa in December and the temperature reached 25°c and above every day, even as high as 32°c on some days. The area is prone to tropical weather but no major hurricane has hit Tampa in 80 years. We recommend Autumn and Winter as the best times to visit Tampa.

Who flies to Tampa?
Tampa has its own airport but the only international flight is from London. However, Orlando is 1 hour from Tampa so flying into Orlando could prove the better option. We chose to fly to New York from Rome, and then take the 2 hour flight down from JFK to Tampa airport. You can fly to New York or Orlando from almost every major airport in the UK and Europe.

• British Airways, provides the only International direct flight to Tampa

What hotel deals can you offer me?
Tampa, Clearwater and St Petersburg have some fantastic old fashioned hotels as well as hi tech business hotels and resorts. We've chosen the best value hotel we have in each of the 3 cities. 

• 3* INN BUSCH GARDENS NORTH - Tampa - 
• 4* HOLIDAY INN HARBORSIDE INDIAN ROCKS - Indian Rocks Beach - Clearwater
• 5* RENAISSANCE VINOY RESORT - in St Petersburg luxury hotel with 360 rooms

Click to see all TAMPA HOTELS

What can I see and do in Tampa?

The metropolitan area of Tampa, Clearwater and St Petersburg has a wealth of attractions spread out over a very large area. Whilst transport isn't poor, we highly recommend you rent a car. Tampa itself is the financial, business and cultural centre of the area. The city is home to several museums, including the excellent Tampa Bay history centre, the Children's museum and theTampa Museum of Art. If you prefer exploring a city by foot, the areas of Ybor and Hyde Park are the most interesting for a stroll.
Clearwater is a laid back small city of around 100,000 inhabitants and is most famous for its beautiful sandy beaches and being the seat of new religion, Scientology. Clearwater is home to some interesting events throughout the year including the Ford Ironman competition, Hispanic Heritage festival and the Imagine International Film Festival.

St Petersburg, the sunshine city, is the most popular holiday destination of the 3 cities making up this metropolitan area. St Petersburg also has some great beaches and a fantastic harbor where million dollar yachts are lined up in all their glory. The city has a great Baywalk area with shops, cinemas and a small aquarium. However, it is the beaches of St Petersburg that are its true attraction with Fort Desoto beach ranked as the number 1 beach in America by Dr Beach in 2005.
Sports - Florida is obsessed with sports and the good folk of Tampa Bay are no exception. The pride of the area is the Super Bowl 2002 winning Tampa Bay Buccaneers, owned by Manchester United supremo Malcolm Glazier. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers play at the Raymond James stadium in Tampa.

If you prefer your Baseball you can catch the Tampa Bay Devil Rays who play their major league baseball at Tropicana Field in St Petes.

Tampa even has a major league Ice Hockey team in Tampa Bay Lightening, however, they are currently bottom of the Eastern conference. The Lightening play at St Pete's Forum.

The Museums and Galleries of the Tampa Bay area are varied and of a very high quality. The museums we would most highly recommend to you would be the Ybor City Museum, Tampa Bay Historical Centre, Museum of Science and Industry, Tampa Museum of Art, The Childrens Museum in St Petersburg, Museum of Fine Arts (St Petes), The Holocaust Museum (St Peters) and the Salvador Dali Museum (St Petes).
We visited the all these museums but the Tampa Bay Historical Centre really gives you the best overall view of Tampa and how the area grew up. The best "museum" is centro Ybor itself. The area is a treat with many bric a brac shops, great restaurants and funky nightlife. Spend an entire day and night in Ybor to get a true feel for the area.
Attractions- As good as they are, nobody goes to the Tampa Bay area for its museums. People coming to the area are looking, for sea, sand and nightlife and this is what Tampa does best. With a student population keeping the town young and funky, the city has loads of gay and straight bars and nightclubs.
Tampa Bays main attractions are the beaches. Fort De Soto is heralded as the best in the area and it's very hard to argue. However, for nightlife, St Petes and Clearwater beaches are where it is at with plenty of bars and nightclubs to keep you going into the wee hours. The best nightlife in a 100 mile radius is Ybor City, check out Club Prana, Empire & Climax and Orpheum.
Tampa's #1 event is the annual Gasparilla Pirate Festival (on this weekend, late january each year) celebrates the apocryphal legend of José Gaspar (Gasparilla), supposedly a Spanish pirate captain who operated in southwest Florida.
The theme is an "invasion" by Gasparilla and his men, which begins when the "Krewe" (made up of residents of the city) arrives on a 165' long pirate ship, the Jose Gasparilla, in Tampa Bay and land near downtown Tampa. The mayor of Tampa then lends the key of the city to the pirate captain and a parade ensues down Bayshore Boulevard, one of Tampa's major streets. The krewes throw beads, coins and other items while shooting blank pistols from floats during the parade. The average attendance for the event is over 400,000 people.
Can we write about Florida without mentioning Theme Parks? We nearly did it. That would be a huge disservice though to the fabulous Busch Gardens. Busch Gardens is a grown up and FUN Disney, real rides, less queueing and less expense. If you don't enjoy heart stopping white knuckle rides then Busch Gardens also has excellent and educational Safari trips and great 3D shows. Tickets for Busch Gardens are $64,95 for adults and $54.95 for children under 10, however, look out for discounts and coupons that can be found everywhere from Walmart to your hotel.

Where can I eat in Tampa Bay?There is a very strong Caribbean/Mexican influence in Tampa and so the traditional regional cuisine could be considered to have a certain hispanic flair. Floridians like to eat, and they like to eat cheaply. You will be fed very well for surprisingly little in the Tampa Bay area.
Here are some recommendations (£ - Inexpensive - under £10 for a main course - ££ - Reasonable £10-£15 for a main course - £££ - Pricey £15-£24 for a main course- ££££ - Expensive £25-£35 for a main course - £££££ - Daylight Robbery - £35+ for a main course)

• Berns - The areas best restaurant for wine freaks, huge cellars. Steak House - £££
• Columbia - Spanish/Cuban flamenco dancing but exceptional quality - £££
• Dockside Daves - Excellent fish restaurant in St Petersburg- £
• Frenchy's Cafe - Excellent Surf and Turf in Clearwater- £
• Bernini - Outstanding Italian restaurant in Centro Ybor- ££

You can easily spend a full week in the Tampa area and not be tempted over to the Disney Corporation! Consider Tampa for your own "spring break".

Ciao for now HotelClickers!

New York, New York

Greetings!Finally back from my trip stateside and have four great guides to bring you about the American east coast cities of New York, Tampa, Orlando and Miami. Lets start with the big apple. This was my first trip to New York though the city is familiar to everyone from film, television and photographs. It's Christmas time so lets plan for a great time in New York, the January Sales and the Valentines period.

New York- the QT
New York, the world's most famous city, doesn't need much introduction. The home of US big business, high fashion, the best in new music, theatre and shopping New York is the first city in the world richest country. New York has gone through a massive transition in the past 20 years. What used to be a filthy, crime ridden and dangerous city; New York has cleaned up its act.

Today New York is a living city, families with babies continue to stay in the city, it's sanitized, safe and suburban. This is great for people visiting New York to see the sights, Ellis Island, Statue of Liberty, Rockerfeller Center but there are those who miss the old New York. The New York that didn't have a Starbucks on every corner, where graffiti artists shook their cans creating a colourful and exuberant city. New York has lost its graffiti and its edge but is still the worlds most exiting city.

Who flies to New York?

• Silverjet low priced luxury flights from London's Luton to Newark Airport.
• Delta, US Airways, British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, Continental and American Airlines all from the London Airports to New York Airports.
• Delta, Aer Lingus, Continental and Delta fly from Manchester to New York Airports.
• Continental and Aer Lingus fly from Glasgow to New York Airports.
• Continental fly from Birmingham to New York Airports.
• Air France, United Airlines, Continental, American Airlines fly from Paris to New York Airports.
• Continental, Alitalia and Delta fly from Rome to New York Airports.
• Continental, Delta, Air Berlin, Lufthansa, fly from Berlin to New York Airports.

What hotel deals can you offer me?
Hotels in New York are notoriously expensive. The weak dollar means it is the best time to go to New York and stay in some kind of luxury. Any hotel with 3 stars+ should be very comfortable although New York's accommodation is famous for being a little hit and miss. Here are our recommendations based on price, location and our customers own reviews.

Budget

• Greenpoint YMCA New York - Budget hostel located in Brooklyn
• Hotel Aka Sutton Place - Hip apartment located in Midtown East

Midrange

• 3* THE GERSHWIN New York - Central Manhattan New York

• 4* HOTEL RADISSON LEXINGTON - East side Manhattan ny 

Luxury

• 5* HOTEL THE NEW YORK PALACE - in MidTown East NY
• 5* The Waldorf Astoria - In Park avenue in the Midtown East area of New York 

Click to see all NEW YORK HOTELS

What can I see and do in New York?

The City is actually 5 boroughs, Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn, Staten Island and the Bronx. Most visitors to New York spend the entire trip in Manhattan and only enter the other boroughs (or even New Jersey) when they catch their flight home. Manhattan is New York to many people but you should not discount Brooklyn and Queens if you are staying in New York for a longer visit. Brooklyn would be the USA's 5th most populous city were it not part of New York and offers many charming parks and river walks. Prices for accommodation, food and shopping are all cheaper outside of Manhattan. Many of the sports events also take place in Queens, the US tennis Open at Flushing Meadow, Queens and the baseball team the New York Mets at Shea Stadium.

Manhattan - the cultural, financial and fashion centre of the world, Manhattan is the world in miniature. The world's rich and poor live here, nationalities from every country of the world can be counted among the 1.5 million Manhattanites currently on the Island. Manhattan is anything you want it to be and has a niche for everyone, no matter what your flavour you will find it has a home in Manhattan. Filled with trips, tours, museums, shops, galleries, events, theatres, restaurants, it's a tourist paradise, whatever you are in Manhattan you are not bored.

The Museums and Galleries of New York are wonderfully thorough and perfectly maintained, interesting and appreciated. The most famous museums and galleries, the Natural History Museum, Moving Image Museum, Ellis Island Museum, Frick Collection, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Museum of Television and Radio and the Museum of Modern Art are all world class museums that you can not possibly visit all in one trip.

More specialist museums that I enjoyed were the Museum of Jewish Heritage down by Battery Park. Spanning the last 200 years of Jewish history the museum focuses on the Holocaust and Palestine as well as documenting the rise to fame of Jewish stars and the Jewish lifestyle in America including a section dedicated to the Jewish influence in Miami and the Catskills.

The less well known, Museum of Sex is a tasteful and interesting look at how sex is portrayed, sold and played out across the states. The museum is an eye opener looking at sex and sexuality from every angle, literally!

Sports in New York get about as passionate as you can get. The cities major teams, The Mets, The Yankees, The Giants, The Jets, The Knicks, The Rangers all have a loyal and vocal following and attending a sports match is really the quintessential New York experience. Depending on the time of year there will almost certainly be a game on during your stay, Football, Hockey, Baseball or Basketball.
If you can we recommend a Baseball game at either the Yankee's up in the Bronx or the Mets in Queens to get you out of Manhattan and into real living and breathing New York and New Yorkers.
Shopping - Two dollars to the Pound and one fifty to the Euro means that your greenbacks are really stretching nicely in the States. Even in New York you're going to find yourself chuckling merrily at the prices in comparison to London.

New York's got it all, electricals, fashion items, gifts, jewellery and everything you may ever desire. The typical and famous New York shopping hot spots are Barneys, Bloomies and Saks. The ladies will enjoy countless hours in these stores but for a younger crowd looking for some lesser know designers at better prices check out the Meatpacking District.

If electricals and laptops are more your thing, try going into the East Village and Soho where there are some great low cost stockists.

In Chinatown you can pick up many a cheap fake item head into China town via Broadway and you'll be amazed at the amount of street vendors asking "Gucci, Fendi, Prada, you buy?"

Where can I eat in New York?Certainly New York is the USA's number 1 city for dining. People from every culture came together to create New York an nowhere does this strike you as more obvious than when making a restaurant reservation. The possibilities are endless, Chinese, Thai, Italian, Mexican, Hungarian, Polish, Jewish, English, Irish, Korean, Japanese, Argentinian, Cuban and even... American!
Here are some recommendations (£ - Inexpensive - under £10 for a main course - ££ - Reasonable £10-£15 for a main course - £££ - Pricey £15-£24 for a main course- ££££ - Expensive £25-£35 for a main course - £££££ - Daylight Robbery - £35+ for a main course)

• Babbo - Greenwich Village Italian food mecca, Exceptional - ££££
• Katz Deli - famous Pastrami sandwiches in this Jewish cafe. East Village - £
• Momo Fuku - Greenwich village multi cultural, Chinese meets Mexican meets ??? - ££
• Union Square Cafe - Top chef, great service and expansive wine list, class - ££££
• Sushi Yasuda - finest Sushi restaurant in New York - ££££

No one can ever wrap up New York in a few words. These are our personal recommendations for great things to do in New York. Don't forget to write to us and let us know about your own experiences in the world's favourite city.

Ciao for now HotelClickers!

No place like Rome

Greetings!
Well, the football is over and England are out. The face behind the blog is very upset today but I will try and pull myself together and write a blog entry about my favourite city and the headquarters of HotelsClick, Rome.

Rome - the QT
Rome is surely on everyones "top 10 places to visit" list. Everyone I know either has been or desperately wants to visit Rome and with good reason. Rome is all things to all men with an ancient quarter, gothic quarter and modern areas. Rome is also all things to all women with Via Condotti (high end shopping), the world's most fabulous Ice Cream and Italian men dressed as Gladiators. Surely there can be no finer city to visit? That's right, there isn't. Wonderful cuisine, museums and public spaces make Rome my favourite city and if you come in Spring, the best time of year, it may just be your favourite city too. Just do yourself one small favour... leave the car at home. The Romans drive like today is their very last day on earth and everyone is going to pay! Look both ways before crossing the road people!

Who flies to Rome?

• EasyJet fly daily from Belfast, Bristol, East Midlands, Gatwick and Newcastle.
• RyanAir fly daily from Glasgow, East Midland, Dublin, Liverpool, Stansted and Luton.
• British Airways fly from Heathrow, Gatwick
• Alitalia fly from Heathrow.

What hotel deals can you offer me?
Finding hotels in Rome in Italy can be a hit and miss affair. There are many budget options around Termini but whilst this area if convenient and well connected it is a little "dodgy" shall we say. Below we've recommended some hotels in the safer area's of Rome. These prices are an example of 11 January, 2 Nights, 1 Double Room.

• 4* EUR SUITE ROME - Well connected luxury hotel
• 4* NOVA DOMUS & SUITES - Close to the Vatican - Midrange prices
• 5* AMBASCIATORI PALACE ROME - on Via Veneto

Click to see all ROME HOTELS

What can I see and do in Rome?

The City of Rome is more compact than you'd imagine and it's quite possible to walk from the sights in the East (Colosseum and Forum) to the sights in the West (St Peters and the Vatican) though taxi's are cheap and frequent. Much of Rome is covered by the local Metro although some areas, notably Piazza Navona, are not covered by Metro due to the possibilities of endangering many historically important buildings by digging underneath them and the constant vibrations from a metro could cause damage. So, it's out with the old comfy trainers to see Rome on foot. The summer in Rome can be extremely hot with temperatures regularly soaring over 40°c. Many Romans leave the city in August and Rome basically shuts down including many shops, business' and restaurants. The best time to visit Rome is just after Easter, after the christian pilgrims have left the city or in September and October when temperature can stay in the pleasant 25°c range.The Holy See and the Must See - It's impossible to write about Rome without mentioning the Collosseum, the Forum, the Vatican, Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps and St Peters but please, we all know about these. Half of us have visited these before, and maybe more than once so what I want to talk about today is the lesser know tourist attractions; the path less travelled. I am not recommending that you don't see these wonderful attractions, of course, if you've never been to Rome these are must see, 5 star attractions and among the very best spectacles anywhere on the planet. Today we're going to talk about the Roman Catacombs, Villa Borghese and Trastevere.

The Roman Catacombs are not as famous as their Parisian counterparts but still intriguing in a morbid way. All history buffs should set some time aside to visit the catacombs. A burial place from the 2nd Century for Christians and Jews the catacombs have lived a chequered life. Originally just a place of burial they have served also as a place of refuge from persecution and the shrine of actual Christian martyrs. The catacombs came into effect simply for financial reasons. Unable to afford to bury their dead spread out across expensive Rome, they had to dig down, creating an underground world full of corridors and, well, dead bodies. The catacombs continued to be used until the 5th century after the fall of Rome and invasion of the Barbarians.

The relics and jewels once buried with their owners were then taken away to churches throughout Rome away from the hands of the Barbarians. With their removal there was no longer an urge to visit or guard the area and the catacombs were deserted and well into the middle ages were considered "lost", noone knew where they were anymore. Not until the 17th century were the catacombs found once more and are considered amongst the most important archaeological sites of Christian history. At the catacombs you can witness the burial chambers in something of a labyrinth, many of the inscriptions on the "tombs" remain as well as some emblems and relics.
Trastevere is my favourite area of Rome. This medieval district on the left bank of the Tiber was once home to the poor of the city and looked down upon by the grand Imperial Romans. Today Trastevere is the most trendy area of Rome with the best restaurants and bars in the city. With an international atmosphere it is common to walk around hearing as much English as Italian. Many American and British Ex-pats have made Trastevere their home seeing the potential in this medieval quarter that looks more like Barcelona's Barrio Gotico than anything resembling Rome. It's also home to many famous Italians as well an International artists who have helped raise the areas profile, and it's property prices.
Filled with antique stores, books shops and quaint old knick knacks you can spend a day walking its narrow streets and just enjoying Trastevere for its ambiance. The area's life focuses around the famous church and the square in which it sits, the Santa Maria in Trastevere. Wonder around, get lost and enjoy a long lunch at one of the great traditional Italian trattoria's.
Villa Borghese is hardly a secret but it's still under appreciated. It's the best place to bring kids in Rome with huge outdoor spaces and a zoo. As the best open space in Rome, home to a fantastic art collection, and host to outdoor events all year round it's a hub of Roman life in the same way Hyde Park is in London. It's huge. If you've had the fortune to walk around the circumference of Villa Borghese then you know you've put in some km's and deserve that Spaghetti Carbonara.
The Bio Park, the city's zoo, is a valiant attempt to educate Rome's young about the plight of animals and the dangers of global warming. The message gets lost in the cute monkeys and lion cubs though.
Galleria Borghese, is an impressive 17th century villa housing the work of famous artists including Bernini and Canova. The museum is more for history fans as its first floor is dedicated to Roman antiquities, busts and mosaics. The Galleria Borghese is open all year round.
Where can I eat in Rome?
Where can't you eat in Rome? All the districts have traditional trattoria's as well as cheap pizza stands where you can get yourself a filling slice of pizza for €1.50. No matter what your budget you can eat well in Rome.
Here are some recommendations (£ - Inexpensive - under £10 for a main course - ££ - Reasonable £10-£15 for a main course - £££ - Pricey £15-£24 for a main course- ££££ - Expensive £25-£35 for a main course - £££££ - Daylight Robbery - £35+ for a main course)

• GUSTO - Upmarket Italian restaurant - ££££
• IL PASTARELLARIO - famous restaurant in Trastevere - £££
• REMO - best place for traditional roman pizza- ££
• IL CON VIVIO - One of Rome's most fashionable restaurants, great foodie place - ££££
• DAGNINO - 50's style Sicilian patisserie, great food and ambiance - £

That's it for Rome. There are a million other attractions worth seeking out but hopefully we gave you some new ideas to get excited about.

Ciao for now HotelClickers!