http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/ Welcome to Been there. Your tips on the places you know - that you love, live in or have just visited - are what make this guide. http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/33717 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/33717 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/33659 The resort itself is, unsurprisingly, a lot smaller and quieter than its alpine counterparts (although this is more than reflected in the price difference) yet still has a runs ranging from green to black in difficulty. For more accommodation options, stay in one of the many guest houses in the nearby lakeside town of Eğirdir. In fact the real beauty of a ski holiday here is that it can be combined with a city break (to nearby Antalya – where the nearest airport is also located), a visit to the ruined Roman city of Sagalassos, a chance for bit of seaside winter sun or simply a taste of rural Turkey in the afore-mentioned Eğirdir – all just a short drive away.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/33659 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/33601
Ilha Grande lies just an hour off Brazil’s Costa Verde, that lush strip of Atlantic coastline stretching from north of Rio all the way down to Santos. It its time, this huge unspoiled tropical paradise, with more than 100 miles of jungle trails, has been a pirates’ lair – and as recently as the early 1990s housed a penal colony on one of its countless remote and isolated coves. Nowadays it still takes prisoners but only those who track down its isolation, sample empty beaches, coral reefs and laid-back Brazilian hospitality. It’s difficult to escape.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/33601 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/33600 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/33600 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/33593 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/33593 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/33591 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/33591 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/33582 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/33582 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/33580 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/33580 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/33578 From the magnificent beaches you can reach some of the best coral reefs in the world that provide a habitat for an abundance of marine life. Feeding and nesting grounds for the population of sea turtles, dugong, dolphins, sharks and whales can be found here.
It is the undiscovered nature of this island’s beaches that make it so special. Snorkel the island’s shores, kayak the mangroves or relax in a hammock beneath the giant baobabs on the island beaches. Quilalea is a tiny untouched paradise. Difficult to reach, this is the ultimate African beach retreat for an offbeat getaway.
There are few places to stay on the island - the newly refurbished lodges at ‘Azura’, a luxury ‘eco’ boutique retreat which has all the facilities you need, while being a perfect beach hideaway, is worth a visit.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/33578 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/33574 Sip a Malawi gin and tonic watching the sunset over Lake Malawi, have a candlelit dinner on the beach, snorkel through the fresh water of the lake admiring the most diverse collection of fish in any body of freshwater in the world. Venture into the island to meet the friendly villagers, visit their textile and furniture workshops or take in the largest cathedral in central Africa. All on a tiny island in the middle of one of Africa's great lakes.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/33574 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/33567 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/33567 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/33565 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/33565 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/33564 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/33564 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/33563 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/33563 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/33561 Although only a short ferry ride from the Cork coast, the island is at a step out of time. This far west, the Atlantic commands the pace.
One hot afternoon from the cliffs at Horseshoe Bay, we watched through a telescope a yacht head out to the ocean before we descended along a gorse-choked path for a bracing dip in the turquoise shallows.
But as well as the natural beauty the island has other diversions. The story goes that when asked by summer visitors what time The Jolly Roger pub closes, locals joke ‘October’.
Sherkin doesn't fit with the conventional notion of a desert island but then sometimes paradise is right under our noses.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/33561 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/33560 From Bocas del Toro in Panama you can take a tour with a number of companies to Cayos Zapatillas, a small group of uninhabited desert islands. The boat moors and you hop out into the warm sea to splash your way to the shore. The islands consist of a patch of jungle surrounded by a border of white sand and clear water and the afternoon is just spent relaxing in and out of the water (or, in the case of some lads on our tour, dashing in and out of the jungle, trying to knock a coconut out of a tree). It literally looks like the scene in Pirates of the Caribbean when Jack and Elizabeth are stranded on a Caribbean island. Except the whole British army aren't looking for you. Thank God, beacause we didn't want to leave!]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/33560 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/33512 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/33512 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/33403 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/33403 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/33383 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/33383 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/33366 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/33366