Posts Tagged ‘city break’

Places To Visit During Vacations In Swansea

Many folk consider the most beautiful county in Wales to be Swansea. Found in the south west part of Wales this gorgeous county includes such places as the Mumbles and the famous Gower peninsula. Below you will find information to help you get the very best from a vacation in Swansea.

Swansea (the city)

Sadly large areas of Swansea were devastated during the German air raids of WWII which resulted in the loss of much of the older city. While many would look at such an event as devastating the people of Swansea took the opportunity to redevelop the city and this development has continued right up to the present day making the city completely different to earlier times. Nearly everyone is in agreement that the work has been a vast improvement and if earlier inhabitants, such as Dylan Thomas who called the city his “ugly, lovely town”, would not recognise the place.

It is along the seafront, and in the area of the docks, that redevelopment is most noticeable. Where once you would see the hustle and bustle of trade and industry you now see shops and cafes. Superb top class museums, such as the National Waterfront Museum are found in what is called the Maritime Quarter, other museums well worth a visit include the Swansea Museum and the fascinating Dylan Thomas Centre. If you are looking for a fun family day out then consider visiting the LC leisure Complex which includes gym equipment, a children’s play area and a climbing wall.

Nightlife In Swansea

Wind Street and Kingsway are renowned for being the centre of Swansea’s nightlife. In these districts you will find an exciting mix of restaurants, cafes, bars, pubs and clubs. Restaurants of note include the excellent La Brasseria which offers excellent Mediterranean and French cuisine (found on Wind Street).

One of Swansea’s most popular bars is the vibrant Cafe Mambo. Situated at 46 The Kingsway, the Mambo has a distinctive Latin American atmosphere. You can also visit the cafe during the day or early evening to grab a snack.

One building which thankfully survived the WWII blitz is the wonderful 18 th century Cross Keys Inn on Mary Street. The Cross Keys is the oldest pub in Swansea but another old pub, which is considered to be one of the best in the city, is Wind Street’s No Sign Bar.

Swansea (The County)

The vibrant city of Swansea has a multitude of tourist attractions and a lively nightlife. For those who prefer a more tranquil vacation then it is the area around the city which will be of most interest. You may already know of both the Gower Peninsula and The Mumbles as they are immensely popular and often feature is lists of the most beautiful places in Britain and the likes.

Rhossili Bay, which spans some four miles, from Worm’s Head to Burry Holms, is found in the Gower Peninsula. Beautiful sandy beaches, small coves and endless areas of natural beauty are found all over this part of Swansea. However the most well known of Gower’s beaches are those found in Three Cliffs Bay. If you are visiting Gower you may also wish to visit a castle and you have three to choose from here, Penrice Castle, Pennard Castle and Weobly Castle.

As well as the three castles mentioned above Swansea also has Oystermouth Castle which is found in the area now more generally known as The Mumbles (technically Oystermouth). Although many consider the Mumbles just a suburb of the city it is historically separate and sports all of the appearance of a typical seaside resort. Now an increasingly popular place to live with those with larger budgets the area gains its name from the nearby twin islets.

Learn more about hotels in Swansea. Stop by Karl Fraser’s site where you can find the best deals on Swansea bed and breakfast.

Pet Friendly Birmingham Accommodation

Birmingham, England’s second largest city by population, is becoming an incredibly popular vacation destination. With a wealth of industrial heritage, numerous museums, art galleries and the likes, together with countless top class visitor attractions and some of the best venues for live music, the arts and large scale meetings it is not surprising that so many folk take vacations and short city breaks here.

Each year more and more folk are choosing to take their pets with them on vacation. There are many reasons for this increase but probably the most common is that, simply put, people are often not willing to be parted from a pet which is literally part of the family. Another common reason for taking a pet along on vacation is that housing your pet while away can be ridiculously expensive and though hotels sometimes charge a small additional fee for allowing you to have your pet in your room, it is still often far, far cheaper than paying for boarding kennels or similar.

Imagine that you have decided that yes, you will be taking your pet with you when you next take a vacation. Imagine that you also plan on taking a short city break in the English city of Birmingham. Unfortunately you will very quickly discover that only a tiny number of places to stay will allow you to take your pet into your room. As few as one (or less) per hundred hotels and guest houses offer what is called pet friendly accommodation (where pets are allowed).

You will quickly discover what a thoroughly depressing task it is to find pet friendly Birmingham accommodation. Imagine finding the perfect hotel out of say, seventy only to scroll down to the hotel policies and discover those dreaded words, no pets allowed. Understanding this I wish to introduce a few places in Birmingham which specifically say “pets allowed”.

The Etap Hotel The immensely large Etap is situated roughly half a mile from the very centre of the city. The Etap offers pet friendly accommodation at a very affordable cost.

The Crowne Plaza Hotel The absolutely enormous Crowne Plaza is a 4 star pet friendly hotel located on Holliday Street right in the very centre of the city.

The Paragon Hotel The incredibly huge Paragon offers 4 star pet friendly hotel accommodation literally minutes from the city centre.

If you would rather book a room in a city centre pet friendly hotel with less than one hundred and fifty rooms then, unfortunately your choice is limited to just one establishment, the Ibis Holloway Circus, which has only 51 rooms.

If you want to choose from more pet friendly hotels in Birmingham and pick up a lst minute bargain you will find the above mentioned hotels discounted at http://hotels.simplytop.com/.