Nestled under the Tramuntana mountains, and set amongst terraced gardens in the mountain village of Deià, La Residencia is an award winning Mallorcan luxury hotel and spa resort. Combining two characterful 16th and 17th century manor houses, surrounded by orange groves and ancient olive trees, La Residencia has a wonderfully rustic Mediterranean feel. Throughout, the resort is furnished in traditional Mallorcan style; guest rooms are a haven of calm natural tones, with shuttered windows overlooking lush herb, fruit and flower gardens.

The hotel’s sixty-seven rooms and suites are decorated with antique and traditional Mallorquin furniture and crisp white bed linen. The range of accommodation includes single rooms, ‘superior doubles’, junior suites – all with a four-poster bed, and luxurious Tramuntana Suites. The Tramuntana Suites are set in the mountainside above the resort Spa and feature traditional tiled garden areas where guests can relax while soaking up the sun and breathtaking views, some with a private plunge pool.

The beautiful countryside around Deià, where mountains fringe the Mediterranean Sea, has inspired many poets and artists over the years, and the local artistic tradition is a strong theme within La Residencia. Vibrant paintings are displayed throughout the resort from artists who have lived and worked in Deià or the north side of Mallorca during the last three or four decades. There is a calendar of exhibitions, an artist in residence, and master classes available for guests.

With some of the best tennis facilities in Mallorca, set in some of the island’s most breathtaking scenery, guests can enjoy a tennis break at La Residencia, with two superb tennis courts, a pro shop, and a professional tennis coach on hand for tuition. The resort’s Leisure Concierge service can arrange activities from ballooning to private yoga sessions, and a whole host of cultural tours.

La Residencia offers its guests a fully equipped modern gymnasium with sauna and steam room. For a more sedate form of relaxation, the resort spa has an indoor pool, a Jacuzzi, a sauna, a steam room, a gym and six treatment rooms – four of which have a private outdoor massage area. Resident beauty therapists can offer individual treatment plans, and as well as daily programmes, specific beauty packages are available throughout the year.

Deià is a renowned Mallorcan destination for gourmands, with La Residencia’s acclaimed restaurant El Olivo , and other fine restaurants in the village. At the internationally famous El Olivo, exquisite food and wine are served in this former olive press building, dating back to the 16th century. Son Fony is the resort’s less formal restaurant, where breakfast is served al fresco, and at the Pool Bar-Restaurant guests can savour the mountain views whilst sampling a lunch menu that specialises in fresh fish.

Just forty minutes from Palma Airport, beautifully situated between the mountains and the secluded bays of the north coast of Mallorca, La Residencia is a perfectly peaceful and inspiring rustic hideaway. With the wide array of activities and services offered by the hotel, guests can experience a luxury holiday experience tailored exactly to their needs.

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We’re nearing the middle of August and the slightly colder months are becoming more and more visible through the temporary haze of sunshine. Those in the capital are first to despair: festival season will be over for another year, the thermometer will start to show abominably low figures, and then will begin the retreat inside for a long hibernation. But this bleak outlook really shouldn’t be adopted too early. In my opinion, we Brits are generally affected too much by the weather. There should be at least three inches of snow on the ground before any leisure activities, day trips or personal enjoyments are sacrificed.

The bursting metropolis of London can be enjoyed at any time of year, so diverse and full of life as it is. If you’re thinking of a weekend excursion, staying in the city in September may actually be a more enjoyable experience than squeezing yourself along Oxford Street in mid-July. Yes, summer might be sunnier, but you won’t find a space in Hyde Park to sunbathe until everyone’s back at school or the office. To help you out, here are a few ideas for what to do in London during this slightly less friendly season:

Explore leaf-littered paths…

Who says that the outdoors can’t be explored when it’s a little colder? All you need is a different attitude and a warm coat. Instead of picnics outside, embark on a bracing walk and pick up a well-deserved cup of tea on the way back to your London hotels. Kenwood House in North London is particularly good for this, with a friendly tea room next to the picturesque building and Hampstead Heath spread out around it. The amber shades of autumn leaves will have strewn the paths, creating a general aesthetic just as beautiful as that of any other season.

Take in some culture…

The many museums, art galleries and historical exhibitions collated in London can sometimes be neglected when everyone’s outside basking in the summer sunshine. So now it’s autumn, why not check out the edgy installations at the Tate Modern, where everything and anything counts as art. Or, you could peruse the many faces of the National Portrait Gallery near Charing Cross. All of these unique places, with their bounty of interesting artifacts, are ready and waiting to be explored.

Journey to the West End…

You may be mourning the end of the festival season, but aren’t you forgetting that London is home to the best venues in the country, which all produce year-round gigs and shows? The West End dazzles the area around Leicester Square with the bright lights of its multiple theaters. This exclusive section of the metropolis is definitely worth a visit, whether to attend a show, or just to soak up the exhilarating atmosphere. There are also many music venues in this area and all over London – and they don’t stop because of a change of weather.

So, with such a bounty of autumnal entertainment, an off-season excursion to London could be nearly as good as staying at an array of five-star hotels in Rome. Don’t let the change of season get you down. There’s plenty to be enjoyed all year round – all you need is optimism and a healthy imagination.

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I enjoy traveling and I find it exciting to explore new locations. Vacationing and backpacking are two forms of travel that I enjoy and whichever I choose depends on what I am looking to get out of the trip. The main difference between the two is the length of the trip and amount of locations visited. Vacations can also be planned through a travel agency. A travel agency like Liberty Travel can be very helpful for the novice traveler because they provide expertise along with package deals that can save you money. It does not matter which travel agency you choose since they all have great prices. Backpackers are usually more experienced travelers and they may not need the extra help with getting great deals on their trip.

I like to go backpacking because it is a low budget form of travel and I get to see many different locations while on the same trip. Backpacking also involves long-term trips and the main goal is to experience as much as possible in each location. Hiking is often a part of a backpacking trip because it allows the traveler to experience the wilderness of a particular country while carrying vital supplies in their backpack. It is a popular form of travel in Europe because some locations have trails available that accommodate hikers. This type of trip is usually best when in groups of two or more but it is possible to backpack solo. If you are planning a backpacking trip, be sure to remember all of the essential items such as camping gear, food, water and anything else you may need in case of an emergency.

If you are looking to plan a vacation as a way to relax and escape the stress of your daily routine, a backpacking trip is not for you. A typical family vacation consists of traveling to a resort or a relaxing location such as a beach. Resorts areas like Disney World are also excellent locations for a family trip, since there are plenty of activities available. Vacations usually last up to two weeks and are usually focused on relaxation rather than exploration.

Depending on your travel goals, both of these trips are very beneficial. Backpacking is an excellent choice for experiencing new cultures and vacations are great for relaxing.

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Taking a cruise is an excellent way to really relax. From the moment you step on board your cruise ship, your holiday has begun and you can chill out, unpack and settle in to your floating hotel. The Mediterranean is an excellent area to cruise round because it affords so much opportunity and choice. There are over 200 islands in the Mediterranean, from the Greek and Ionian Islands to Crete and the Cycladaes. There is Italy’s Sicily, Capri and San Pietro. And the Spanish islands of Corsica and Majorca, as well as larger islands such as Cyprus, Malta and Tunisia. Between them, all these islands offer a huge wealth of cultural diversity, beautiful coastlines, and wonderful mild warm climate.
Many cruise lines operates to the Mediterranean but one worth discussing is Princess cruises who operate a number of liners within the Med including the Grand Princess
When you take a cruise through the Mediterranean, you will get to experience just a few of these wonderful destinations, travelling through the night and arriving each day at a new location where you can enjoy many excursions and expeditions to explore much of what these islands have to offer.

Majorca is a favourite stopping place for cruise ships, and it’s not surprising really when you consider how much there is to see here. From Palma the islands capital with it’s excellent shopping and fine gothic cathedral to the caves of Drach on the east coast, and the serene Serra de Tramuntana mountains where almonds, lemons and oranges grow in groves that are sweet smelling and beautiful.

Malta with its megalithic temples of Hagar Qim, Mnajdra and Tarxien, dating from over five thousand years ago, has a great sense of history to offer visitors. The catacombs of St Paul and St Agatha at Rabat where the Romans buried their dead, and the early Christians secretly met for Mass offer a chance to delve right into the heart of this island, and the landscapes of Malta are breathtaking too.

Crete is an island of huge variety set in a land with a backdrop of three mountain ranges. For anyone who enjoys their history, there are no less than five Minoan palaces at Knossos, as well as the cave of Eileitha which is mentioned in Homer’s Odyssey, which was in use from the Neolithic period all the way through till at least late roman occupation.

Capri with its steep sides offers many sights such as the blue grotto – a sea cave where the sunlight shines through the water and an underwater cavity to make the walls of the cavern seem blue. The villa of Roman Emperor Tiberius although in ruins is the site for another villa – the San Michele, and in its gardens relics and works of art dating back to ancient Egypt can be found.

There are many other islands to visit, all special in their own way, from Cyprus with its salt lakes and wetlands where you can thousands of flamingos at the right time of year, to Corsica with a national park that takes up around 40% of the island, and Sicily with Mount Etna dominating its landscape.

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