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

The Ravello Festival is an annual summer music and arts festival that takes place primarily on the beautiful grounds of the Villa Rufolo in Ravello every summer. Ravello Festival organises classical music performances in the town’s churches, gardens and piazzas.

The main venue includes a suspended stage, built around the gardens of the villa and hanging above a cliff 350m (1,150ft) above the sea. A full musical teaching programme runs in parallel with a series of concerts.

 Every year the Ravello Festival features what they term a Wagnerian Leitmotiv , which serves as the overall theme for the summer. The aim of the Ravello Festival is to generate a special atmosphere which caresses the spirit. The Festival’s cultural offering accompanies the summer without impinging on guests privacy.

The Brochstein Pavilion is created as a landmark destination for Rice University’s campus. The garden at the Brochstein Pavilion gives a powerful spatial framework that has transformed an unstructured, underutilized quadrangle into the center of student activity on campus.

Founded in 1912, the Rice University campus is noted for its eclectic Mediterranean architecture, mature southern Live Oaks and a classical campus plan that emphasizes long, formal axes. The university is located in Houston, Texas, United States just near the Houston Museum District and adjacent to the Texas Medical Center.

Inspired by the Tuileries Gardens in Paris, Houston architect Raymond Brochstein and his wife Susan provided a wonderful  donation that allowed the University to achieve this goal. The Brochstein Pavilion is capped by a steel and aluminum trellis structure which protects the building and extends in all directions to cover and shade the surrounding seating terrace. The trellis, consisting of an aluminum tubes, protects the building from the harsh Texas sun.

A series of wide double doors at the pavilion connect the interior seating areas with the surrounding terrace, opening the pavilion to the landscape and welcoming students and faculty. The landscape architect instead chose to address the interstitial space between the Fondren Library and the pavilion. A generous concrete walk connecting the library and the pavilion bisects into garden rooms whose perimeters are defined by plantings of African Iris.

Movable furniture and subtle site lighting allow impromptu gatherings of visitors to enjoy the oasis created by the dense shade and running water day or night. The university is spectacular and gives pleasure for every student to spent their school days in such an environmental Eco space.

Seri Negara is one of the best Malaysian luxury hotels. The hotel is consists of two mansions – Carcosa and Seri Negara, which were built at the turn of the century to host colonial civil servants and their guests. It’s was originally constructed in 1904 as the official residence of a high-ranking British official. The hotel is a hallmark of Malaysia’s national heritage.

The 13 suites at Carcosa Seri Negara are furnished in distinctive regency style, old etchings and Malaysian objects d’art. Several suites have large terraces. Amenities: Room Service, High-speed Internet, Fitness Room, Restaurant, Parking, Swimming pool, Handicap Accessible, Concierge, Valet Parking,  Beauty Center, Gymnasium, Elevator, 24 Hour Reception, Babysitting, Tennis Courts, Golf Course and other.

The hotel’s dining room offers French cuisine, prepared from the finest ingredients. The Gulai House serves Malay cuisine in a less formal environment. The property also offers a cocktail bar, which is a perfect place to relax with a fine drink.
Enjoy a typical English High Tea amidst the historic charm of Carcosa Seri Negara in Kuala Lumpur. The guests can enjoy playing tennis or take a relaxing swim in the pool, during their leisure time.

Sukhothai Hotelis a palatial resort situated in the heart of the Bangkok’s Embassy Row. The tree-lined driveway and 6,5 hectares of flower gardens and lily ponds in Thailand. Only a 25-minute drive from Don Muang International Airport.

All rooms and suites incorporate rich Thai Fabrics, teak-wood furnishings, impeccable detailing and luxurious bathrooms. Interiors are embellished with wonderful ancient art. Facilities: air condition, minibar, television, coffee/tea, personal fax, safety box.

If you just want to enjoy a cocktail and a light snack, the bar and Lobby salons are sure to impress. La Scala, innovative Italian restaurant situated next to the swimming pool. Relax in our sauna, experience a traditional Thai massage, enjoy  shop or beauty salon.

The Sukhothai Hotel is the ideal venue for wedding receptions, banquets and cocktail parties.

The Conservatory of Flowers, built in 1878, is a gorgeous (and restored in 2003) example of the beautiful greenhouses that were constructed during the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries to display exotic plants and flowers. This one is built in a dramatic Victorian style, and is one of the architectural highlights of the golden gate park. Golden Gate Park is over 3 miles long & 9 blocks wide, 1017 acres.

This spectacular living museum is home to more than 2,000 different types of rare and beautiful flowers, including favorites like palms, orchids, and roses. Prominently situated near the eastern end of San Francisco’s famous Golden Gate Park, this stunning Victorian establishment is North America’s oldest existing conservatory. Millions of green-thumb enthusiasts visit the Conservatory of Flowers every year, infusing their lives with fresh, floral fun, and now you can too! Plan to visit this national historic landmark during your upcoming San Francisco vacation and enjoy an afternoon of sweet-smelling satisfaction! The flowers have always had the ability to enhance a seemingly hopeless day. So what better way to start your upcoming San Francisco discount car rental vacation than with a trip to the city’s Conservatory of Flowers!

The building itself is really amazing from the outside, and belies the indoor size a bit. The only downside to wandering around and looking at all those beautiful flowers? It can be pretty humid! Oh well, that’s the jungle for ya! A beautiful, tropical plant-filled greenhouse right in foggy San Francisco. The space is not very large but does the job. This one you can visit for about an hour and still feel like there are new things to discover upon your return. The architecture is odd to me because it seems to be grand from a distance but once you approach it and get close the roofs are actually not that high.

It’s a joyous riot of color,
abundant and flowing,
a corner of nature just barely tamed,
a paradise made to order by an Impressionist to please the eye
and provide endless motifs to paint.
Giverny is a small French village 80 km to the west of the capital city Paris, within the valley of the river Seine and the northern region of Haute-Normandie. The village is best known as the rural retreat of the Impressionist painter Claude Monet. French impressionist Claude Monet (1840–1926) developed his garden in the Parisian village of Giverny, covering his extensive grounds with brilliant flowers and profuse greenery.Photographer and expert gardener Elizabeth Murray helped to restore Monet’s gardens, which are now open to the public, during the 1980s; she returns each year to capture new radiance on film. Murray’s detailed descriptions accompany her verdant subjects. Included are views of the Grande Alle, the famous Japanese-style footbridge, and the inspirational water garden. Much of the drama in Claude Monet’s garden at Giverny in Normandy, France, comes from the contrasting horizontal and vertical elements. For smaller spaces, irises, bamboos and grasses can replace the weeping willows.

It is divided into two parts. The rectangular Clos Normand lies in front of the house, with archways of climbing plants wrapped around superbly coloured shrubs. The Water Garden lies further away, and provided inspiration for some of Monet’s greatest work. He came here often during his life, his imagination stimulated by the interplay of light and shadow and the dreamy, contemplative quality of this enchanting Japanese garden. It was here that he painted his Water Lilies series, exquisite canvases which seem to convey the essence of Impressionism and herald the abstract movement to come. The scene remains untouched by time and July is the best time to see the water lilies in their full glory.

When you look at Monet’s paintings of his lily pond at Giverny , you begin to realise how much variation there is in them. Some have a little strip of the ground at the end of the pond, others have none; in some the water looks really deep, and in others Monet’s focused on the surface of the water. You begin to realise how there’s the potential for a lifetime’s paintings in just one subject. He loved flowers and the magnificent gardens slope gently down to the River Epte. The gardens also comprise the walled garden, planted according to Monet’s own design, and the Water Garden, shaded by weeping willows, with its famous Japanese Bridge, its wisterias, azaleas and its pond with water-lilies.
While the garden today is thriving, it is permanently maintained much as it was in Monet’s lifetime. Would he be happy with the garden as it is now? Hesitates to answer directly, as if Monet’s watchful spirit might be hovering over the garden.

The Alhambra is a beautiful collection of buildings and gardens. The tree-lined walks are luscious, providing pleasant shade and coolness, enhanced by the abundance of water that flows in its streams. This palace structure was started after the Reconquista, the reconquering of Spain performed by the Christian kings, started. This adds to its aura. While the illiterate Christians were advancing, Spain reached its highest cultural level ever, but under the Muslim rulers. The slender structure of Alhambra…

There is no reference to the Alhambra as being a residence of kings until the 13th century, even though the fortress had existed since the 9th century. The first kings of Granada, the Zirites, had their castles and palaces on the hill of the Albaicin, and nothing remains of them. The Nasrites were probably the emirs who built the Alhambra, starting in 1238.
Sadly, the Alhambra Palace Spain entered a “dark age” of sorts when it was abandoned to thieves and vagrants during the 18th century. During the time Napoleon controlled Spain, the Alhambra was used as a barracks for French soldiers, and, at one point, was almost blown up. After it was declared a national monument in 1870, Romantic writers like Washington Irving, author of Tales of the Alhambra, brought the fortress to the world’s attention, and prompted the restoration of the palace and the Alhambra gardens Spain.

The highlights of any tour of the Alhambra palace Spain, include the fabulously decorated emi. The Patio de los Leones’s palace, the Generalife (the Alhambra’s meticulous gardens) and the Palacio Nazaries. The Patio of the Lions, named for the fountain in the center of the courtyard. Twelve stout lions support the bowl. Somehow, in a manner defying common sense and physics, the fountain was recirculated without the aid of a pump.
Architecture, ingenious water systems, art or history – whatever has your interest, the magical Alhambra enthrals everyone, even if you only want to see a beautiful building or mountains under the Spanish.

Gyllyngvase Beach is just a 3 minute walk away and the Princess Pavilion offering a wide variety of music and shows during the summer and free nightly entertainment in the picturesque Biergarten. A pleasant beach walk takes you along the Bay and around Pendennis headland and Castle to Falmouth town centre and harbour front.
Four acres of formal gardens and a beautiful Edwardian perimeter veranda to provide exterior covered seating. Centrally placed in the lawn is the Edwardian cast iron Bandstand from which regular open-air concerts are given by local town bands. A bandstand is a circular or semicircular structure set in a park, garden or pier, designed to accommodate musical bands performing outdoor concerts.

In 1838 the Rev WJ Cope was appointed Rector of Falmouth Parish Church and he acquired the estate of Gyllyngdune on the cliff top between De Pass Road and Membly Hall. In 1840 he constructed Gyllyngdune House and also built the small “chapel” on the seafront. After he died the estate was sold to Sampson Waters, who in turn sold it to Falmouth Town Council in 1903.

A buffet of fruit, yogurt, cereals and toast is offered with the option of a hot breakfast of farm fresh eggs, bacon, Tasmanian smoked salmon, pancakes, French Toast and other delights from the kitchen. The perfect meeting place to relax and meet friends while enjoying a long drink expertly mixed by our friendly Barman or quench your thirst while relaxing around the Pool. Live music nights are occasionally organized in the Beer Musical styles include old time and modern ballroom, sequence & Latin. Garden Dancing at the Princes Pavilion. The floor is carefully prepared before each dance to ensure a perfect surface.

The Summer Palace in northwest suburban Beijing is the largest and most complete imperial garden existing in China. It was firs built in the 12th century as an imperial palace. In its compact 70,000 square m of building space, one finds a variety of palaces, gardens, and other classical-style architectural structures. The garden came into existence early in the 1750s and had once been a summer resort for the emperors. The Marble Boat is at the southwest foot of the hill, and the Long Corridor runs east to west along its southern edge.

Loveggevity Hill, which can be divided into Front Hill and Rear Hill, is about 60 meters high. Kumming Lake, which is man-made, is available for boat rides during much of the year, and ice skates can be performed during the frozen winter months. The Long Corridor is 795 years long and parallels the lake. It is the longest walkway in the Chinese gardens with altogether over 14,000 traditional Chinese paintings on the beams and crossbeams.

The elliptical marble bridge leads the eye to the rocky South island in the middle of the lake, the wooden pavilions dotted sparingly on the gentle hills that adorn the lakeside, the grandiose temples that climb the artificially created Longevity Hill – all these represent a quintessentially Chinese ideal of harmony between man and nature.The Summer Palace is virtually a museum of traditional Chinese gardening that uses rocks, plants, pavilions, ponds, cobble paths and other garden styles to create a poetic effect between different scenes. When you stroll around the Summer Palace, you will constantly find the area changing.

For those who appreciate the beauty of Chinese art, architecture and landscaping, they should take a whole day exploring this 300 hectare park comprising of buildings and corridors topped by a hill (Longevity Hill) and cooled by an artificial lake. The Summer Palace is the archetypal Chinese garden, and is ranked amongst the most noted and classical gardens of the world. In 1998, it was listed as one of the World Heritage Sites by UNESCO.