Sirata Beach Resort on the Gulf

With its pastel colors, wrought-iron details, and architectural features, the oceanfront Sirata Beach Resort has a Mediterranean feel. This family-owned and operated resort offers a cordial and efficient welcome to its guests, whether they're visiting for a family vacation, a conference, or a wedding on the waterfall terrace.

In addition to the adjacent white-sand beach, guests choose from three outdoor splash pools and two spa tubs. Water-sports rentals are available, as are oceanfront hammocks for less active pursuits. Dining options include a Caribbean-inspired grill, a steakhouse, and two beachfront bars. An on-site shop sells groceries, sundries, and souvenirs.

Seven miles away, the 250-acre Boyd Hill Nature Park offers three miles of nature trails and boardwalks. Park wildlife includes alligators, turtles, American coots, otters, ospreys, bald eagles, and frigate birds. There are four aquariums, an observation beehive, and guided nature walks.Located on St. Pete Beach, the 12-acre Sirata Beach Resort offers numerous on-site recreational opportunities, as well as water-sports rentals and offshore excursions (surcharges).

Mangrove Grille specializes in Caribbean-style cuisine, and two beach bars provide light fare and live weekend entertainment. MORE......

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Villas at Regal Palms

REGAL PALMS is an outstanding resort style community located on the US27 situated between Highway 192 and I4 giving easy access to all Orlando has to offer. The resort features superb onsite facilities which include an amazing Tropical Pool Area complete with ‘lazy river’ and water slide, a Club House, featuring a restaurant, bar and games room, a Gymnasium, Health Spa complex, Tennis Courts and Children’s Pay Area. The resort is also adjacent to the renowned Highlands Reserve 18 hole Golf Course.

Townhouses offering 4 bedroom/3.5 bathroom or 3 bedroom/3 bathroom are available. Both offer luxury accommodation, beautifully furnished and fully equipped. These executive homes provide you with the independence of a home with the advantage of a host of ‘on the door step’ facilities. Not far away from Walt Disney World Resort and within easy reach of bars, restaurants, shoppings malls and supermarkets - Regal Palms Townhomes are situated adjacent to the Highlands Reserve Golf Club.

Boasting a large tropical swimming pavilion with waterslide, waterfall and lazy river, health spa and regular shuttles to the attractions, the 3 and 4 bedroom town homes have fully-equipped kitchens, spacious living and dining areas with patio and a garden tub in the master bedroom. MORE.........

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Scrap APD

The UK is being urged to take a lead from the Dutch government and scrap Air Passenger Duty.

The call came from ABTA which claimed that as the UK enters a severe recession APD will "exacerbate the problems already being encountered by the aviation and tourist industries with significant falls in passenger numbers".

The announcement by the Dutch government that it plans to scrap its airport tax as part of its economic support measures will have the added effect of encouraging airlines to bypass the UK and re-route to Dutch airports with further damage to the UK's economy, ABTA claims.

The Industry has called for a planned rise in the tax this autumn to be abandoned at the very least.

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La Costa Condos Gulf Coast

Anna Maria Island offers a unique flavour of the real old Florida and yet, is close to all the style and attractions of Sarasota and St Armands Circle. The white sandy beaches run for over 7 miles and feature some great beachfront dining opportunities, ranging from family style restaurants to the more elegant, with their own specialist a la carte menus. Anna Maria has two main shopping centres with Publix and other main high street stores.

There are over 20 golf courses within 25 minutes drive. For the family there is a Cinema, Bowling Alley and a wider choice of supermarkets in Bradenton which is just 8 miles away. There is huge choice of watersports available. La Costa is a beachfront condo with a screened balcony offering fantastic views over the beach, and spectacular sunsets. It has 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms with a sofa bed in the lounge area. The master bedroom has a vanity area with wash basin. Use of the safe can be arranged for a small fee. MORE.....

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Jamaica Royale Apartments

Nestled on the fine, white, powdersoft sands of Siesta Key, the Jamaica Royale apartments are a pleasant stroll away from the Siesta Key Village Shopping area with its range of intimate fine dining restaurants, designer shops and stores with downtown Sarasota a 10-minute drive away.

Siesta Key has been regularly voted one of America's top ten beach resorts during the last ten years and it's unique quartz ultra-fine soft sand remains cool even on the hottest of days.Three heated freshwater pools overlook the Gulf of Mexico and the 2-bedroom tower apartments each come with fully equipped kitchen and private patios, perfect for sipping cocktails and enjoying the fabulous sunsets. MORE......

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Indian Creek Villas

Indian Creek is the big new addition to our Orlando villa portfolio. Already an established vacation home resort and an extremely popular resort with British holidaymakers for a number of years.
Located in the much sought after Splendid China area, guests are just short 5 minute drive from shops and restaurants and just over 10 minutes from the Disney theme parks. You won’t find quite the range of on-site amenities of Emerald Island but in most cases the villas here are at least equal in standard, yet much lower in price.
It’s very difficult to come up with a reason not to stay at Indian Creek. If you want a high spec pool home with a choice of size and option to upgrade in a location just minutes from shops and restaurants then this is the place for you.
Expect bright, imaginative décor and furnishings, spacious interiors and well maintained gardens, and, the prices are much lower than normally charged for villas in this area. A very friendly resort, ideal for families. MORE.....

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Indian Pointe Villas

Indian Pointe is an ideal choice for guests looking for a convenient Kissimmee location, a peaceful countryside setting and a great value vacation home. The resort is located on the east side of Disney in central Kissimmee, an extremely relaxed area a good few miles from the noise, traffic, hustle and bustle of Highway 192.

The villas of Indian Pointe are extremely well maintained (similar in standard to the homes at Bass Lake), have always been very popular and quite possibly represent some of the best value rental villas in the whole Orlando area.

Slightly more expensive than our ‘Disney Area’ properties but if you prefer to know exactly where you will be staying then Indian Pointe is an excellent choice. MORE.....

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Brits Keep Going to USA

International visits to the USA set new records. The U.S. Department of Commerce announced that a record 58 million international visitors traveled to the United States during 2008, an increase of nearly four percent over 2007. U.S. Visits from Western Europe, 12.2million visitors, was up 12 percent for the year and accounted for 48 percent of overseas arrivals.

Arrivals from the United Kingdom were up more than one percent for the year. Visitors from the United Kingdom accounted for 37 percent of all Western European arrivals.

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Villas at Tuscan Ridge

Of all the villa developments we sell (there’s many, many more than listed on this site), do we have a favourite? Yes we do! Tuscan Ridge. It’s not the closest resort to Disney, doesn’t have the on-site amenities of Emerald Island and isn’t built around an award winning golf course like Highlands Reserve…basically we just love the villas.

Tuscan Ridge is a very new development of upmarket, executive villas approximately 15 minutes drive west of the Disney theme parks on US Highway 27. The villas here are very plush and furnishings have been upgraded in every home, in fact these are easily some of the best rental properties we have seen in the Orlando area.

The estate itself is very peaceful and immaculately maintained; the villas are surrounded by rolling orange groves.

If you are happy with a location within 20 minutes of Walt Disney World and if your priority is a guaranteed upmarket, executive villa rather than a resort pool, golf or kid’s playground (there are tennis courts) then Tuscan Ridge is a very good choice.

Many of the homes have additional upgrades such as spa, additional TVs or music systems and a high percentage have a private outlook from the pool over conservation or the orange groves.

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Villas at Southern Dunes

Southern Dunes is one of the most established, popular and well known villa developments in the whole Orlando area. A gated community of high spec homes situated around the prestigious Southern Dunes Golf & Country Club.

Though this is an ideal location for anyone with a passion for golf, it is not simply a golfer's paradise. The resort offers a huge range of high quality vacation properties from 3 Bedrooms through to 7 Bedrooms and a range of on-site amenities to keep every member of the family happy.

As well as the 18 hole Championship golf course with clubhouse, restaurant, bar and shop, guests at Southern Dunes have access to 3 communal swimming pools, a gym, 2 tennis courts, volleyball court, children's playground and extensive walking and jogging trails. Another major attraction is the 24 hour Wallmart Superstore and choice of restaurants and takeaways right outside the resort's entrance...........more

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Disneyland uses Cooking Oil

Disneyland Resort has proved its commitment towards the environment by implementing two innovative moves, which have both resulted in a reduction of carbon dioxide emission in the air. The particular move includes recycling of cooking oil to power the Disneyland Railroad steam trains and the Mark Twain riverboat. The green drive also includes using natural gas to fuel its guest trams.

As the move helps the resort to save 200,000 gallons of petroleum every year and bring down pollution by 80%, the oil used for The Disneyland Railroad and the Mark Twain Riverboat is the same cooking oil used to make the French fries.

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Sunset Ridge Villas in Orlando

Sunset Ridge is a new addition to our Orlando villa portfolio. A brand new gated community of high end vacation homes located close to the junction of US Highway 27 and Interstate 4.

This is an excellent choice for holidaymakers wanting an upmarket villa in a tranquil and relaxing setting. The surrounding area provides a choice of over 20 golf courses and the close proximity of Interstate 4 means that the Disney theme parks are only a 20 minute drive.

Read more........

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Windsor Hills in Kissimmee

Windsor Hills is the newest addition to our growing range of 'resort style' self catering vacation developments. The developers have tried to market Windsor Hills as Orlando's first 5 Star vacation homes resort and in our opinion they have come pretty close. The general look and feel is exceptional, the landscaping is immaculate and the design of the communal areas is very plush. Read more.........

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Best Public Golf Course in Orlando

Orange County National Golf Center and Lodge; two of the finest public golf courses Orlando Florida has to offer.

If you are looking for the best golf in Orlando, FL and want to know who has the finest course layouts, conditions and facilities, look no further than Orange County National Golf Center and Lodge. For the golf fanatic, it has everything - 36 holes per day, first class instruction, first class driving range. Two championship courses, a 9 hole short course, several onsite instruction schools and the largest driving range and practice facility in America are all there.

You do not have to be a great player to enjoy Orange County National; you just have to Love Golf! A Lot of golf!

In fact Orange County National has 45 fabulous holes, on 922 beautiful acres of unspoiled rolling terrain. Pure Golf, the way it was meant to be played, in peace and tranquility with nothing to distract your game except the rugged natural beauty of your surroundings. You will feel a million miles from anywhere; yet will be just a few miles from Disney, the convention center and all the entertainment Orlando has to offer.

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Club la Vela in Panama City

Club La Vela in Panama City, Florida, is not only the largest nightclub in the USA, it is also one of the trendiest and most respected nightclubs in the world. This nightclub continuously reinvents itself to stay on the cutting edge of entertainment and club life.

By doing so Club La Vela adds new theme rooms on a yearly basis to its already huge arsenal of onsite clubs all of which are located under one roof! Each theme room has its own atmosphere, ambience, feel, and audience. You'll find Hip-Hop, Bootie, and High-Energy Dance fans in the THUNDERDOME, Club La Vela's largest multi-story theme room featuring a sound system you can feel in your chest, and a lightshow like no other in North America!

If you're into techno-music, the UNDERGROUND, NIGHTGALLERY, & GALAXY ROOM are for you as thousands of people dance to the unifying beats, Chicago Hard House, Jungle, and Break Beats spun by internationally renown DJ's and producers. Live Music fans feast their appetite for some incredible live Rock in the ROCK ARENA where the country's hottest touring bands tear up the stage.

Upstairs, the newest theme room, PENTHOUSE LOUNGE, offers premium spirits, modern decor, plush seating, and private seating areas.

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Cocoa Beach for Jazz

Heidi's Jazz Club has been the number one hangout for jazz lovers and jazz musicians on Florida's Space Coast since Heidi and Eddie opened the club in 1992. It features live music every Tuesday through Sunday with featured performers on selected Friday and Saturday evenings and Heidi's Open Jam Session every Sunday evening starting at 7 PM.

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Laugh Away at Sak Comedy Lab

Nestled inside the Centropex II parking garage in downtown Orlando, SAK Comedy Lab offers up some of the funniest improvised comedy in the Central Florida area. Show themes change regularly and a variety of nationally and internationally recognized comedians are often featured creating a unique experience each time you visit.

All shows are family friendly but may border on a PG-13 rating with certain puns or innuendos. Adults, teens and children will find humour in the shows. Audience participation is encouraged and for special occasions (birthday, anniversary) you can even request to be part of the show.

Some snacks are served along with non-alcoholic drinks.

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Continental Airlines Gets Top Honours

Continental Airlines announced that it was again rated the top airline on FORTUNE magazine's annual airline industry list of World's Most Admired Companies. This is the sixth consecutive year that Continental has topped that list.

The rankings are determined in a survey of corporate and airline executives, boards of directors and industry analysts. Companies are evaluated according to the following criteria: quality of products/services, global competitiveness, people management, quality of management, social responsibility, innovation, use of corporate assets, financial soundness and long-term investment.

Additionally, Continental was ranked among the top ten companies for management quality across all industries on the Fortune World's Most Admired Companies survey.

The results are from the magazine's March 16th, 2009, issue.

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