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/34695 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34695 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34646 Other places to visit in Nicaragua are San Carlos which is a small chaotic town where most people stop over night before travelling to El Castillo down the Rio San Juan, which is also a must for any visitor to Nicaragua. A real paradise. I read A Nicaraguan Journey: Memories from the Land of Sandino before I visited Nicaragua. It gave me a good background to the country and helped me decide where to visit when I got there.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34646 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34631 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34631 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34628 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34628 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34625 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34625 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34623 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34623 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34615 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34615 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34608 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34608 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34599 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34599 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34596 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34596 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34573 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34573 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34570 It all leaves you with a certain image – different from the standard - of a Mallorca where you walk, the route is very beautiful and scenic, and at the end of the day, tired, you come to these beautifully located refuges that are not only refuges but a place that lets you ‘experience’ food, meet other walkers and drink great cheap coffee.
To give some background, the GR 221 Dry Stone Route is a 132 km eight stage hiking route of medium difficulty which can be walked in parts or combined with other sightseeing. The five refuges - Can Boi, Muleta, Tossals Verds, Son Amer and Pont Roma – are all located in the northern rocky part of Mallorca which both needs tourists economically and landscape-wise remains unspoilt by the brand of tourism Mallorca has long been associated with.
Price wise, the dorms are all uniformly priced at € 11 a night with optional dinner at € 8.50 which is brilliant value for three courses including a carafe of wine. The refuges can all be booked online at: www.conselldemallorca.net/mediambient/pedra

Final point, the doors close at 10pm with the lights going out at 11pm. So if hard walking and early sleeping is your idea of a good holiday, do check out the link I have put below.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34570 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34523 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34523 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34495 While I make no claim that the Yum Cha at Maxim's Palace is the best in Hong Kong (I'm still on a quest to discover that, and will keep you posted on my findings), the dim sum's very good, you get great harbour views and it’s also one of only a handful of restaurants in Hong kong which still uses the old school dim sum trolleys. Come at lunchtime but be prepared for a wait - Maxim's doesn't take bookings and it gets pretty hectic, particularly at weekends. Queueing over, take your seat in the large red and gold dining hall and sip on Jasmine tea while keeping a close eye on the trolleys being
wheeled between the tables. Each trolley is laden with bamboo dim sum steamers. When a trolley passes by and you spot something that you fancy, stop the waitress and grab a basket. Struggling to decide what to opt for? I suggest that you try a little bit of everything but my top dim sum picks are: har gau (shrimp dumplings), char sui bau (steamed barbeque pork buns), cheung fan (rice paper rolls which come with various fillings aka Chinese ravoili), sui mai (pork dumplings), and Xiaolongbao (steamed pork soup dumplings originating from Shanghai). If you’re feeling particularly brave, try
the chicken’s feet which actually don’t taste as bad as they look but are not the easiest thing to eat if you’re a little inexperienced with chopsticks. Lunch over, leave City Hall with a tummy full of dumplings and the clatter of the dim sum carts ringing in your ears and head for a stroll along the harbour front to work it all off.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34495 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34479 www.megaholidays.co.uk is an
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>>> Great Business Opportunity!]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34479 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34439 We took six days to do this last July and some parts of the walk were quite challenging, particularly ascending the Devil's Staircase at Glencoe, and descending Conic Hill into Balmaha (which most people seemed to do on their derrieres!) Despite having spent a small fortune on midge repellent, rain macs and waterproof trousers, we didn't come across one midge and only had an hour of rain in the whole week.
Walking into Glencoe in blistering sunshine is a memory I don't think will ever leave me, but some of our highlights of the trip were the very well deserved pints at the end of a long walking day! The best of these was at the Drover's Inn in Inverarnan, on the banks of Loch Lomond. Formerly an inn for the highland cattle drovers, it hasnt been decorated in centuries. A roaring fire, amazing steak pie and a folk band had us staying there til the wee hours, despite our 10 mile hike the next day.
Lowlights included a sleep-free night at the Rowardennan YHA, an otherwise beautiful old house on the banks of Loch Lomond, less enticing when trying to kip in a room full of snoring hikers. The best night's sleep we had was in the Bridge of Orchy Hotel. About half way into our week, this little hotel had all the mod cons we needed, including a bath, which at that point seemed heaven sent.
All in all, a thoroughly enjoyable challenge that I'd do again in a heart beat. Take walking poles and compeed blister plasters, be prepared for changeable weather and you'll have a great time.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34439 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34425 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34425 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34373 Superficially, Nice can seem like an expensive city, but it does not have to be as there is plenty to see and do for free. One of the most fulfilling things you can do here – and a great way to take in the feel and the atmosphere of this beautiful city – is to just walk around taking photographs. There is joy to be found here in every corner: relaxing in Jardin Botanique on a tree-shaded park bench to stay cool in the midday sun; or people watching from one of the many authentic cafes in true Gallic style! Just grab a coffee and a freshly prepared sandwich, then sit back on Promenade des Anglais and simply watch the world go by.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34373 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34335 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34335 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34322 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34322