The Venetian Macao

13 April 2016 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Hotels Reading Time:  5 minutes

© flickr.com - Dennis Wong/cc-by-2.0

© flickr.com – Dennis Wong/cc-by-2.0

The Venetian Macao is a luxury hotel and casino resort in Macau owned by Las Vegas Sands. The Venetian is a 39-story, $2.4 billion anchor for the seven hotels on the Cotai Strip in Macau. The 10,500,000-square-foot (980,000 m2) Venetian Macao is modeled on its sister casino resort The Venetian Las Vegas, and is the seventh-largest building in the world by floor area. The Venetian Macao is also the largest casino in the world, and the largest single structure hotel building in Asia. The main hotel tower was finished in July 2007 and the resort officially opened on 28 August 2007. The resort has 3000 suites, 1,200,000 sq ft (110,000 m2) of convention space, 1,600,000 sq ft (150,000 m2) of retail, 550,000 square feet (51,000 m2) of casino space – with 3400 slot machines and 800 gambling tables and a 15,000 seat CotaiArena for entertainment and sports events.   read more…

The Kingdom Centre in Riyadh

20 January 2016 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Hotels Reading Time:  5 minutes

Riyadh Skyline © Muhaidib

Riyadh Skyline © Muhaidib

Kingdom Centre is a 65-storey, 302.3 m (992 ft) skyscraper in Riyadh. It is the third tallest skyscraper in the country after the Abraj Al Bait Towers and the Burj Rafal, and is the world’s third tallest building with a hole after the Shanghai World Financial Center and Tuntex Sky Tower.   read more…

Theme Week Venice – Lido di Venezia

9 December 2015 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Hotels Reading Time:  6 minutes

Lido vaporetto terminal © Gary Houston

Lido vaporetto terminal © Gary Houston

The Lido – or Venice Lido (Lido di Venezia) – is an 11-kilometre (7-mile) long sandbar in Venice, northern Italy; it is home to about 20,000 residents. The sandbar form a barrier between the Adriatic Sea and the Venetian Lagoon. The Venice Film Festival takes place at the Lido every September. Venezia Lido, a public airport suitable for smaller aircraft, is found on the NE end of Lido di Venezia. It has a 1000 m grass runway. Lido developed in the 19th century to the fashionable seaside resort with luxurious hotels.   read more…

The Las Vegas Strip

2 December 2015 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Hotels Reading Time:  13 minutes

'Welcome to fabulous Las Vegas' sign © Pobrien301

‘Welcome to fabulous Las Vegas’ sign © Pobrien301

The Las Vegas Strip is a stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard South in Clark County, Nevada, internationally known for its concentration of resort hotels and casinos along its route. The Strip is approximately 4.2 miles (6.8 km) in length, located immediately south of the Las Vegas city limits in the unincorporated towns of Paradise and Winchester (however, the Strip is often referred to as being “in Las Vegas”). Most of the Strip has been designated an All-American Road, and is considered a scenic route at night. Many of the largest hotel, casino, and resort properties in the world are located on the Las Vegas Strip. Fifteen of the world’s 25 largest hotels by room count are on the Strip, with a total of over 62,000 rooms. One of the most visible aspects of Las Vegas’ cityscape is its use of dramatic architecture. The rapidly evolving skyline and constant modernization of hotels, casinos, restaurants, residential high-rises, and entertainment offerings on the Strip, have established it as one of the most popular destinations for tourists in the United States, and the world. Historically, the casinos that were not in Downtown Las Vegas along Fremont Street were limited to outside of the city limits on Las Vegas Boulevard. In 1959 the Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign was constructed exactly 4.5 miles (7.2 km) outside of the city limits. The sign is today about 0.4 miles (0.64 km) south of the southernmost entrance to Mandalay Bay (the southernmost casino). Phrases such as Strip Area, Resort Corridor or Resort District are sometimes used to indicate a larger geographical area, including properties 1 mile (1.6 km) or more away from Las Vegas Boulevard, such as the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Rio All Suite Hotel and Casino, Palms Casino Resort and Hooters Casino Hotel. The eastern side of the Strip is bounded by McCarran International Airport south of Tropicana Avenue.   read more…

Hotel Bayerischer Hof in Munich

21 October 2015 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Hotels Reading Time:  6 minutes

Hotel Bayerischer Hof © Mattes

Hotel Bayerischer Hof © Mattes

The Bayerischer Hof on Promenadeplatz in the northwestern part of Munich is a five-star Grand Hotel. Built in 1841, it remains a destination for celebrities and guests of state in Munich. The hotel was erected in 1841 on behalf of Joseph Anton von Maffei according to plans by Friedrich von Gärtner. It initially had about 100 rooms and two halls. Some of its renowned guests included Empress Elisabeth of Austria and Sigmund Freud. In 1897 the Hotel was purchased for 2,850,000 Mark by Mark Hermann Volkhardt, who converted the facade to its historicism style. Performances in the grand ballroom at this time were made by artists such as Enrico Caruso along with many others. After the reconstruction period in 1924, the Bayerischer Hof was the largest hotel in Europe. During the Second World War the building suffered heavy damage, but was rebuilt after the war.   read more…

Puerto Banús, Europe’s largest marina

10 October 2015 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Hotels Reading Time:  5 minutes

© Maximo88/cc-by-sa-3.0

© Maximo88/cc-by-sa-3.0

Puerto José Banús, more commonly known as Puerto Banús is a marina located in the area of Nueva Andalucía, to the southwest of Marbella on the Costa del Sol. It was built in May 1970 by José Banús, a local property developer, as a luxury marina and shopping complex. It has since become one of the largest entertainment centres in the Costa del Sol, with 5 million annual visitors, and is popular with international celebrities. Developed around a coastal village in the Mediterranean architectural style, Puerto Banús contains expensive shopping malls, restaurants and bars around the marina.   read more…

Therme Erding, the largest thermal bath complex in Europe

3 October 2015 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Hotels Reading Time:  9 minutes

© Therme Erding/cc-by-sa-3.0

© Therme Erding/cc-by-sa-3.0

Therme Erding is the largest thermal bath complex in Europe at 145,000 square metres (36 acres). It is 30 minutes northeast of Munich by car and is visited by around 4000 people every day. On 12 February 1983, the American oil company Texaco drilled 2,350 metres (7,710 ft) below ground, just outside the town of Erding, Bavaria, Germany. Instead of oil, they discovered sulphorous water. Initially a ‘mini thermal bath complex’ was constructed on the site, and then the foundation stone of Therme Erding was finally laid on the 10 November 1998, and it was officially opened on the 3 October 1999. The complex has a clothed bathing area, and a no clothing (sans textiles) sauna section. In 2007, Therme Erding underwent an expansion. The baths contain four distinct areas: the waterslide area Galaxy, the Thermenparadies, the Vital-Oase, the Saunaparadies, a wave pool and the Hotel Victory Therme Erding with 128 themed rooms. The hotel design is based on the ship HMS Victory.   read more…

The hotel ship Barken Viking

1 October 2015 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: Tall ships, Hotels, Yacht of the Month Reading Time:  6 minutes

Barken Viking © Pär Henning

Barken Viking © Pär Henning

The Viking (better known by the ship type as a prefix, Barken Viking) is a four-masted steel barque, built in 1906 by Burmeister & Wain in Copenhagen, Denmark. She is reported to be the biggest sailing ship ever built in Scandinavia. Viking was originally built as a sail training ship for the rapidly growing Danish merchant fleet. At that time, seaworthiness and cargo capacity were given top priority. One day in July 1909, while carrying a full cargo of wheat from Australia, Captain Niels Clausen recorded a speed record in the ship’s log: 15.5 knots (28.7 km/h; 17.8 mph).   read more…

Port Camargue, on the Mediterranean coast

17 September 2015 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Hotels Reading Time:  5 minutes

Quai Bougainville © Jmpoirier1/cc-by-sa-3.0

Quai Bougainville © Jmpoirier1/cc-by-sa-3.0

Lying alongside its fishing-village, Port Camargue is a seaboard town with class. With its perfect combination of lakes and green spaces, it’s a true ‘Garden Port’. Europe’s premier marina, Port Camargue can welcome any kind of boat. Port Camargue is part of the city of Le Grau-du-Roi. It has the top-ranking technical facilities in Languedoc-Roussillon and can offer, in one place, all the equipment and services required for sailing. There are around fifty professionals on hand, to offer their expertise and skills. Other attractions include 12 miles of fine sandy beaches, from Le Boucanet to l’Espiguette, a sailing school, a naturist beach and a health spa.   read more…

Return to TopReturn to Top