Santiago travel tips and stories. Vacations ideas, cruises spa and resorts

On the road out to the beach is located the new Cuidad de las Artes y las Ciencias, City of the Arts and Science. The enormous complex includes a huge science museum a planetarium, an unfinished concert hall and the massive L’Oceanografic, Oceanarium. Designed by Valencian architect Santiago Calatrava and started in July 1996, it is an impressive example of modern architecture.

Continue reading Valencia’s Oceanarium – the wonderful futuristic complex

Valencia
All eyes will be on Valencia later this year when the Spanish city hosts the coveted America’s Cup, the world’s biggest and most prestigious yachting event. Valencia is the first city in Europe to stage the race, despite the event’s long history. Already a popular short break destination with savvy travellers, Valencia benefits from a great location a short hop from the resorts on the Costa Blanca and is well served by no-frills airlines. But it is a charming city in its own right, home to the original paella, and it offers an exciting mixture of old and new, with cutting edge modern architecture and traditional baroque barrios. Check out the futuristic looking Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias (the City of Arts and Sciences) designed by local architect Santiago Calatrava, featuring Europe’s largest state-of-the-art marine park, complete with a 30m- (98ft-) long shark tunnel, a dolphinarium, huge fish tanks, a colony of Humboldt’s penguins, and a very surreal underwater restaurant . The harbour area, Europe’s largest urban regeneration project, will be at the centre of the action during the Cup.

Continue reading Top hot destinations 2007

Explora Hotels offer exclusivity and comfort in two of Chile’s most impressive wilderness areas – Torres del Paine National Park in Patagonia, and the Atacama Desert. The Explora Hotel Salto Chico in Patagonia has a magical location on Lake Pehoe surrounded by granite massifs.

Continue reading Explore two of of Chile’s most impressive wilderness areas – Torres del Paine National Park in Patagonia

Destination Chile, a virtual travel guide to the long coastal strip between the Andes mountains and the Pacific Ocean. This page aims to give you a broad overview of Chilean art, culture, people, environment, geography, history, economy and government.

Beside a country profile with facts and figures, the page contains links to sources which provide you with all the information you need to know about this South American nation, e.g.: official web sites of Chile, addresses of Chilean and foreign embassies, domestic airlines, city- and country guides with extensive travel and tourism information on accomodation, tourist attractions, events and more like weather information, maps, statistics and local newspapers from Chile.

Continue reading Chile is a country of startling contrasts and extreme beauty

A trip to the Galapagos Islands will be the journey of your lifetime. Located 1,000 km from the Ecuadorian mainland, the archipelago consist of 13 major islands, of which 5 are inhabited. This geographical isolation enabled Galapagos Island creatures to slowly change into new versions of themselves, ones that are found nowhere else on earth. Famous examples include the marine iguana and giant tortoise. The islands were the catalyst for the evolution theory developed by Charles Darwin in the early 1800s.

The archipelago has been known by many different names, including the “Enchanted Islands” because of the way in which the strong and swift currents made navigation difficult. The first crude navigation chart of the islands was done by the buccaneer Ambrose Cowley in 1684, and in those charts he named the islands after some of his fellow pirates or after the English noblemen who helped the pirates’ cause. The term “Galápagos” refers to the Spanish name given to the Giant Land Tortoises known to inhabit the islands.

Continue reading Journey of a lifetime at Galapagos Islands

While the pride of Malmoe city currently is the high-rise named Turning Tower designed by Santiago Calatrava Barcelona has got its Torre Agbar possessing even more artistic values for an architectural landmark. As the name indicates torre meaning tower and agbar being composed of agua for water and bar for Bar(celona) Torre Agbar is the new headquarter of Aguas de Barcelona, the water supply of this proud Catalan metropolis.

Continue reading Soft Macho in Barcelona

The Caribbean harbors a jewel in the Island of Cuba. The tropical Island extends 750 miles (roughly the size of Pennsylvania) and is a beautiful mix of mountain ranges and plains. There are over 200 bays and 289 sun drenched beaches to explore. The main ports are located in the provinces of Cienfuegos, Havana, Manzanillo, Mariel, Matanzas, Nuevitas and Santiago de Cuba.
Cuba has no plants or animals that are lethal to humans (Yes, this includes poisonous snakes!) The mountain ranges include the Sierra Maestra to the East, the Cordillera de los Organos to the West, and the Sierra del Escambray in the central region.

Continue reading Brief introduction of Cuba